Over the last 15 years, the supernova community has endeavoured to identify
progenitor stars of core-collapse supernovae in high resolution archival images
of their galaxies.This review compiles results (from 1999 - 2013) in a distance
limited sample and discusses the implications. The vast majority of the
detections of progenitor stars are of type II-P, II-L or IIb with one type Ib
progenitor system detected and many more upper limits for progenitors of Ibc
supernovae (14). The data for these 45 supernovae progenitors illustrate a
remarkable deficit of high luminosity stars above an apparent limit of Log L ~=
5.1 dex. For a typical Salpeter IMF, one would expect to have found 13 high
luminosity and high mass progenitors. There is, possibly, only one object in
this time and volume limited sample that is unambiguously high mass (the
progenitor of SN2009ip). The possible biases due to the influence of
circumstellar dust and sample selection methods are reviewed. It does not
appear likely that these can explain the missing high mass progenitor stars.
This review concludes that the observed populations of supernovae in the local
Universe are not, on the whole, produced by high mass (M > ~18Msun) stars.
Theoretical explosions of model stars also predict that black hole formation
and failed supernovae tend to occur above M > ~18Msun. The models also suggest
there are islands of explodability for stars in the 8-120Msun range. The
observational constraints are quite consistent with the bulk of stars above M >
~18Msun collapsing to form black holes with no visible supernovae. (Abridged).Comment: Invited review article for Publications of the Astronomical Society
of Australia, to be published in a special PASA collection on "SN1987A and
Supernovae in the Local Universe". This is the accepted version, after
referee review. Additional minor corrections to match proofs. (25 pages
