Northern cavefish
📖 Overview
Blind and depigmented. Despite the lack of eyes it does respond to light and moves away from it (scotophilia). Adults inhabit subterranean water or caves which have consolidated mud-rock substrates in shoals and silt-sand substrates in pools but is more often found in caves with uniform silt-sand substrates . This species has low reproduction rate and broods eggs in gill cavity for up to 4-5 months. Can live for 2 years without food because of low metabolic rate . Top predator.
🔬 Taxonomy
🐟 Physical Description
Dorsal spines (total): 0; Dorsal soft rays (total): 9 - 11; Anal spines: 0; Anal soft rays: 8 - 11; Vertebrae: 29 - 30. Pink-white. No eyes (vestigial eye tissues under skin). Extremely small pelvic fins (rarely absent). Large, broad head. Caudal fin with 4-6 rows of papillae; 11-13 branched caudal rays.: elongated.
🌀 Behaviour
Behavioural data for Northern cavefish is currently being reviewed.
🦐 Diet
🥚 Reproduction
Female incubates eggs in gill cavities .
🌍 Habitat & Distribution
Freshwater; demersal; non-migratory . Temperate; 39°N - 37°N North America: Indiana and Kentucky, U.
🌿 Ecology
📐 Morphometrics
🌡️ Water Parameters & Tolerance
🛡️ Conservation Assessment
📊 Population Risk & Fisheries
🔍 Similar Species
🗺️ Global Occurrence Map
Occurrence records from the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) - 12 records indexed .
👥 Community & Contribute
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