Speoplatyrhinus poulsoni Cooper & Kuehne, 1974
Alabama cavefish
Speoplatyrhinus poulsoni
photo by Olson-Ringby, M.

Family:  Amblyopsidae (Cavefishes)
Max. size:  7.2 cm TL (male/unsexed)
Environment:  demersal; freshwater
Distribution:  North America: known only from Key Cave in Alabama, USA.
Diagnosis:  Dorsal soft rays (total): 9-10; Anal soft rays: 8-9. Long flat head constricted behind snout. White. No eyes. No pelvic fins. No branched fin rays; incised fin membranes. Caudal fin with 4 rows of papillae; 21-22 caudal rays ( all unbranched).
Biology:  Adults inhabit subterranean water (Ref. 5723). Highly cave-adapted species. Eggs are carried in gill chambers of females (Ref. 205). Threatened by groundwater pollution from agriculture runoff (Ref. 10172).
IUCN Red List Status: Critically Endangered (CR); Date assessed: 12 April 2012 (B1ab(iii)+2ab(iii)) Ref. (130435)
Threat to humans:  harmless


Source and more info: www.fishbase.org. For personal, classroom, and other internal use only. Not for publication.