Teleostei (teleosts) >
Percopsiformes (Trout-perches, pirate perches and cavefishes) >
Amblyopsidae (Cavefishes)
Etymology: agassizii: Named after the great naturalist Louis Agassiz (Ref. 10294).
Eponymy: Stephen Alfred Forbes (1844–1930) was an entomologist, self-taught naturalist, farmer and ecologist. [...] Jean Louis Rudolphe Agassiz (1807–1873) was a Swiss-American geologist, glaciologist and zoologist whose speciality was ichthyology. [...] (Ref. 128868), visit book page.
Environment: milieu / climate zone / depth range / distribution range
Ecology
Freshwater; demersal. Temperate; 39°N - 35°N
North America: portions of Tennessee, Kentucky, Illinois and Missouri, U.S.A.
Size / Weight / Age
Maturity: Lm ? range ? - ? cm
Max length : 9.0 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 10294); common length : 5.3 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 12193); max. reported age: 3.00 years (Ref. 10294)
Short description
Identification keys | Morphology | Morphometrics
Dorsal soft rays (total): 9 - 11; Anal soft rays: 9 - 11; Vertebrae: 33 - 35. Scales minute and embedded. Pelvic fins absent. Branched caudal fin rays 11-17; branchiostegal rays 6. Triads of sensory papillae occur midlaterally and scattered clusters of neuromasts are present on the head. Coloration uniform dark gray to back with paler venter.
Adults occur in springs and caves (but almost always near surface). They live underground but emerge above ground in springs (Ref. 5723). Active in springs at night and usually retreat underground during the day. The few individuals which venture into the spring portions of their habitat may show strong rheotaxis for half to one-minute periods but usually show strong thigmotaxis and hide under rocks or debris (Ref. 34868). Feed at night on amphipods, midge larvae, tiny worms and micro-crustaceans. Fecundity averages about 100 eggs per female (Ref. 10294). Eggs are carried in gill chambers of females (Ref. 205).
Life cycle and mating behavior
Maturity | Reproduction | Spawning | Eggs | Fecundity | Larvae
Incubates eggs in gill chamber of females (Ref. 205).
Etnier, D.A. and W.C. Starnes, 1993. The fishes of Tennessee. The University of Tennessee Press, Knoxville, Tennessee, USA. (pls. check date). (Ref. 10294)
IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 130435: Version 2024-1)
Threat to humans
Harmless
Human uses
Tools
Special reports
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Internet sources
Estimates based on models
Phylogenetic diversity index (Ref.
82804): PD
50 = 1.0088 [Uniqueness, from 0.5 = low to 2.0 = high].
Bayesian length-weight: a=0.00389 (0.00180 - 0.00842), b=3.12 (2.94 - 3.30), in cm total length, based on all LWR estimates for this body shape (Ref.
93245).
Trophic level (Ref.
69278): 3.3 ±0.44 se; based on food items.
Generation time: 1.6 ( na - na) years. Estimated as median ln(3)/K based on 1
growth studies.
Resilience (Ref.
120179): High, minimum population doubling time less than 15 months (K=0.67; tm=1; tmax=3; Fec = 100).
Fishing Vulnerability (Ref.
59153): Low vulnerability (21 of 100).
