Teleostei (teleosts) >
Percopsiformes (Trout-perches, pirate perches and cavefishes) >
Amblyopsidae (Cavefishes)
Etymology: Amblyopsis: Greek, amblys = darkness + Greek, ops = shape (Ref. 45335).
Eponymy: Rosa Smith Eigenmann (1858–1947) was the wife of ichthyologist Carl H Eigenmann and an ichthyologist in her own right. [...] (Ref. 128868), visit book page.
More on author: Eigenmann.
Environment: milieu / climate zone / depth range / distribution range
Ecology
Freshwater; demersal; potamodromous (Ref. 51243). Temperate; 38°N - 35°N
North America: Springfield Plateau in southwestern Missouri, northeastern Oklahoma and northwestern Arkansas (Arkansas and upper White River drainages), USA.
Size / Weight / Age
Maturity: Lm ? range ? - ? cm
Max length : 6.2 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 5723); common length : 4.4 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 12193)
Short description
Identification keys | Morphology | Morphometrics
Dorsal soft rays (total): 7 - 8; Anal soft rays: 8. Pink-white. No eyes (vestigial eye tissues under skin). No pelvic fins. Usually 8 anal rays; 9-11 branched caudal rays.
Adults inhabit subterranean waters of quite small cave streams. Preferred habitat in these caves is chert rubble though individuals are also found in areas of silt-sand substrates. Stomachs examined contained copepods which constituted about 70-90% by volume with the balance being primarily small salamanders, crayfish, isopods, amphipods and young of their own species (Ref. 34868). Eggs are carried in gill chambers of females (Ref. 205). Threatened by overfishing (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
Special reports
Download XML
Internet sources
Estimates based on models
Phylogenetic diversity index (Ref.
82804): PD
50 = 0.6338 [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): 3.5 ±0.54 se; based on food items.
Resilience (Ref.
120179): Low, minimum population doubling time 4.5 - 14 years (K=0.3; Fec=25).
Fishing Vulnerability (Ref.
59153): Low vulnerability (10 of 100).
