Amblyopsidae

Amblyopsidae
Hoosier cavefish, Amblyopsis hoosieri
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Percopsiformes
Family: Amblyopsidae
Bonaparte, 1846
Genera

Amblyopsis
Chologaster
Forbesichthys
Speoplatyrhinus
Typhlichthys

The Amblyopsidae are a fish family commonly referred to as cavefish, blindfish, or swampfish. They are small freshwater fish found in the dark environments of caves (underground lakes, pools, rivers and streams), springs and swamps in the eastern half of the United States. Like other troglobites, most amblyopsids exhibit adaptations to these dark environments, including the lack of functional eyes and the absence of pigmentation. More than 200 species of cavefishes are known,[1][2] but only six of these are in the family Amblyopsidae.[3][4] One of these, Forbesichthys agassizii, spends time both underground and aboveground. A seventh species in this family, Chologaster cornuta, is not a cave-dweller but lives in aboveground swamps.[5]

  1. ^ Proudlove, G.R. (2015). "Checklist of troglobitic subterranean fishes of the world to February 2015". cave-registry.org.uk. Retrieved 14 May 2017.
  2. ^ Riesch, R.; Tobler, M.; and Plath, M. (2015). Extremophile Fishes: Ecology, Evolution, and Physiology of Teleosts in Extreme Environments. ISBN 978-3319133614
  3. ^ Romero, A., editor (2001). The Biology of Hypogean Fishes. Developments in Environmental Biology of Fishes. ISBN 978-1402000768
  4. ^ Chakrabarty, P.; Prejean, J.A.; Niemiller, M.L. (2014). "The Hoosier cavefish, a new and endangered species (Amblyopsidae, Amblyopsis) from the caves of southern Indiana". ZooKeys (412): 41–57. Bibcode:2014ZooK..412...41C. doi:10.3897/zookeys.412.7245. PMC 4042695. PMID 24899861.
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference EoF was invoked but never defined (see the help page).