cave fish

cave fish, any of the pale, blind, cave-dwelling fishes of the genera Amblyopsis and Typhlichthys, family Amblyopsidae. Cave fishes are small, growing to about 10 cm (4 inches) long, and are found in fresh water in dark limestone caves of the United States. There are three species: Typhlichthys subterraneus, Amblyopsis rosae, and A. spelaea. The first two lack pelvic fins; the third, the blind fish of Mammoth Cave, Kentucky, possesses these fins. All have small but nonfunctional eyes and tactile organs that are sensitive to touch; these are arranged over the body, head, and tail and enable the fish to feel what it cannot see. Contrasting with these fishes are the swampfish (Chologaster), which belong to the same family. They are also small but are pigmented and have functional eyes. They live aboveground in North American swamps and streams.

Other cave-dwelling fishes unrelated to the Amblyopsidae have, in adapting to their habitat, also tended toward blindness and pale colouring. In Cuba and Yucatán there are three species of brotula (family Ophidiidae or Brotulidae) found in caves. Among the large superorder Ostariophysi (minnows, carps, and catfish), one of the best known is Astyanax mexicanus (previously Anoptichthys jordani), an eyeless, 7.5-cm characin (family Characidae) found in Mexico and often kept in home aquariums. The gobies in the genus Typhleotris inhabit karst caves in Madagascar. Others include Caecobarbus geertsi, an African member of the minnow family (Cyprinidae), and certain catfish belonging to several families and found in the United States, Mexico, South America, and Africa.