To examine habitat conditions associated with abundance of Macrhybopsis hyostoma, 10 seine-hauls were made at each of 24 sites encompassing the major western tributaries of the Arkansas River. All seine hauls were made in habitats that, within each collection locality, were considered most likely to include the species. Each haul was characterized for mean depth, water velocity, and substratum compaction and particle size. Comparison of use versus availability within intervals of these variables demonstrated nonrandom distribution of the species for each variable measured. At locations where the species occurred, usage curves and electivity indexes indicated that both age-groups preferred moderate current velocities (20–40 cm/s) and substrata with high percentages of pea-sized gravel (60–90%) and moderate levels of compaction. A discriminant function based on stream-reaches of occurrence for the species predicted either absence (90% of the seine hauls) or rarity of the species (10% of the hauls) in stream reaches where M. hyostoma or a close relative (M. tetranema) had been extirpated. Based on these results, and in the absence of further knowledge on habitat availability and suitability, it seems inadvisable to attempt reintroductions of M. hyostoma into presently unoccupied streams within its historical range in Oklahoma.