Teleostei (teleosts) >
Percopsiformes (Trout-perches, pirate perches and cavefishes) >
Amblyopsidae (Cavefishes)
Etymology: Speoplatyrhinus: Greek, speos = cave + Greek, platys = flat + Greek, rhinos = nose; literally : the great flattened nose of the cave (Ref. 45335).
Eponymy: Dr Thomas Layman ‘Tom’ Poulson (d: 1934) is a speleologist and biologist who is now Professor Emeritus, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Illinois, Chicago (1973–2000). [...] (Ref. 128868), visit book page.
Environment: milieu / climate zone / depth range / distribution range
Ecology
Freshwater; demersal. Temperate; 35°N - 34°N
North America: known only from Key Cave in Alabama, USA.
Size / Weight / Age
Maturity: Lm ?  range ? - ? cm
Max length : 7.2 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 5723); common length : 4.5 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 12193)
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).
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).
Life cycle and mating behavior
Maturity | Reproduction | Spawning | Eggs | Fecundity | Larvae
Incubates eggs in gill chamber of females (Ref. 205).
Page, L.M. and B.M. Burr, 1991. A field guide to freshwater fishes of North America north of Mexico. Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston. 432 p. (Ref. 5723)
IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 130435: Version 2024-1)
Threat to humans
Harmless
Human uses
Fisheries: of no interest
Tools
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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 ±0.5 se; based on size and trophs of closest relatives
Resilience (Ref.
120179): Medium, minimum population doubling time 1.4 - 4.4 years (Preliminary K or Fecundity.).
Fishing Vulnerability (Ref.
59153): Low vulnerability (10 of 100).