Diagnosis: Distinguished from other members of the Noturus elegans species group by having: modally 16 anal rays (vs. 18 in Noturus fasciatus); modally 8 pelvic rays (vs. 9); 2-10 medium-large sized melanophores on the cheek (vs. large melanophores absent on cheek); adipose fin band extending only to base or half-way up fin (vs. extending half-way up to edge of fin in fasciatus); adipose and caudal fins distinctly joined at their juncture (vs. weakly connected in fasciatus); three evenly spaced pale and dark bands in caudal fin (vs. caudal fin bands usually two and unevenly spaced); robust body shape, with body width at pectoral fin origin 23% or more of SL and greater than anal fin base length (vs. slender body shape, with body width at pectoral fin origin 22% or less of SL and less than anal fin base length). There is an absence of shared alleles for eight allozyme loci (mAAT-A, sACOHA, GPI-B, LDH-B, sMDHP-A, Pep-b, Pep-D, and PGM-A) distinguishes crypticus and fasciatus, which also differ by 5% Cytb sequence divergence. Similarly, both share no alleles at eight allozyme loci (mAAT-A, sAATA-A, sACOH-A, FUM-A, GPI-A, GPI-b, LDH-B, sMDHP-A, and Pep-D) and are 6.3% divergent for Cytb (Ref. 56218).