diff --git a/DESCRIPTION b/DESCRIPTION
index 991e175..43afe44 100644
--- a/DESCRIPTION
+++ b/DESCRIPTION
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 Package: fishplot
 Title: Visualize the evolution of populations of cells over time
-Version: 0.5.1
+Version: 0.5.2
 Author: Chris Miller
 Description: Creates timecourse "fish plots" that show changes in the clonal
     architecture of a population.
@@ -13,4 +13,4 @@ Imports:
     png,
     Hmisc
 RoxygenNote: 7.1.1
-Packaged: 2017-04-27 04:18:11 PM; cmiller
+Packaged: 2023-08-13 04:48:11 PM; cmiller
diff --git a/R/draw.R b/R/draw.R
index 653a29c..1f6e563 100644
--- a/R/draw.R
+++ b/R/draw.R
@@ -110,7 +110,11 @@ drawClustBezier <- function(xpos, ytop, ybtm, color, nest.level, pad.left=0,
 drawClustSpline <- function(xpos, ytop, ybtm, color, nest.level, pad.left=0,
                             border=1, col.border=NULL, annot="", 
                             annot.angle, annot.col, annot.cex, annot.pos, annot.offset){
-  
+
+  if(length(xpos)==0){
+    print("skipping all-zero cluster with nothing to plot")
+    return()
+  }
   ##the flank value is used to add extra control points
   ##to the L and R of each real point, which helps to anchor the
   ##curves more firmly to the actual numbers
diff --git a/R/zzz.R b/R/zzz.R
index 1e578c1..83cd640 100644
--- a/R/zzz.R
+++ b/R/zzz.R
@@ -22,5 +22,5 @@
 }
 
 .onAttach <- function(libname, pkgname) {
-    packageStartupMessage("Using fishPlot version 0.5.1")
+    packageStartupMessage("Using fishPlot version 0.5.2")
 }