Indiana Biological Survey

Division of Fishes

The fish collection includes specimens from North America with concentrations of specimens from the Great Lakes, Ohio River, Mississippi River, Tennessee River, and Atlantic Slope. The fish collection numbers 17 million specimens, which are computerized and include over 14 million larval fish specimens. The oldest Indiana material includes specimens donated by Butler University collected by David Starr Jordan, Bart Warren Evermann, Carl Eigenmann, and Oliver Perry Hay from 1896-1898. A large amount of material from 1920-1930 includes the Shoemaker collection and numerous specimens from the Whitewater River drainage.

The Center curates recent specimens from the Indiana Ecoregion study, Regional Monitoring and Assessment Program (REMAP) studies in the Eastern Corn Belt Plain, Northern Lakes and Forest, and Great Lakes Coastal wetlands. In addition, the Tennessee Valley Authority, Earlham College Zoology collection, Wabash College collection, Ohio River Valley Water Sanitation Commission voucher collections from the Ohio River, and U.S. Geological Survey National Water Quality Assessments (NAWQA) program have been incorporated into the Division collection holdings.

Most states east of the Mississippi River are represented in the collection. Holding include specimens from the Coastal Plain of Alabama, Ridge and Valley Province of Tennessee and Kentucky. The Center has just assisted in the preparation of published revisions to the [Checklist of the Vertebrates of Indiana](Simon et al., 2001b) including changes to the knowledge of fishes. There are currently 211 species of fishes known to have occurred in Indiana.

Projects

• Fishes of Indiana


• Life History Studies


• Reproductive Biology and Early Life History of Fishes in the Ohio River Drainage

Ichthyologists

• Ichthyologists Influential in Indiana

Fish Species Lists

• Fish Checklist of Indiana Species
• Fish Checklist of Introduced or Exotic Species
• State of Indiana Endangered, Threatened, and Rare Species