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Investigations of the freshwater isopod genus Lirceus Rafinesque, 1820 in Ohio and Kentucky USA reveal surprising results regarding the taxon- omy of the genus. Given the incomplete states of their original descriptions, Lirceus fontinalis Rafinesque, 1820 and Lirceus richardsonae Hubricht & Mackin, 1949 were subjected to molecular and morphological analyses and then redescribed from as geographically near to their type locali- ties as possible. The range of L. fontinalis is circumscribed to include sites now only in Fayette County, Kentucky, while the range of L. richardsonae is expanded to include much of western Ohio. In addition, a new species from Delaware County, Ohio was identified and is described. This unexpected species showed relatively little affinity to L. fontinalis/richardsonae and may represent a species from a different faunal assemblage. The presence of these two isopod lineages suggests a contact zone in Ohio due to postglacial dispersal from the east and from the south.