Systematics of the Banded Darter, Etheostoma zonale (Pisces: Percidae)

Etheostoma zonale is redescribed and variation patterns are analyzed. Geographical variation indicates the existence of two subspecies, Etheostoma zonale zonale (Cope) and Etheostoma zonale lynceum (Jordan). The former is found in the Mississippi River drainages above the Fall Line, western drainages of Lake Michigan and headwaters of the Savannah River on the Atlantic slope. The latter occurs in eastern tributaries of the lower Mississippi River, below the Fall Line, and in eastern Gulf slope drainages in Mississippi and Louisiana. The geographical origin of the species and its dispersion routes are postulated.