Amblyopsidae
Sign in to saveThe Amblyopsidae are a fish family commonly referred to as cavefish, blindfish, or swampfish. They are small freshwater fish found in the dark environments of caves (underground lakes, pools, rivers and streams), springs and swamps in the eastern half of the United States. Like other troglobites, most amblyopsids exhibit adaptations to these dark environments, including the lack of functional eyes and the absence of pigmentation. More than 200 species of cavefishes are known, but only six of these are in the family Amblyopsidae. One of these, Forbesichthys agassizii, spends time both undergrou
Taxonomy · GBIF
FAMILY
- KingdomAnimalia
- PhylumChordata
- OrderPercopsiformes
- FamilyAmblyopsidae
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Wikidata facts
- Instance of
- taxon
- Parent taxon
- Percopsiformes
- Image
- Amblyopsis spelaea.jpg
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Article
8 sectionsContents
- Description
- Eyes
- Distribution
- Ecology
- Life history and behavior
- See also
- References
- External links
The Amblyopsidae are a fish family commonly referred to as cavefish, blindfish, or swampfish. They are small freshwater fish found in the dark environments of caves (underground lakes, pools, rivers and streams), springs and swamps in the eastern half of the United States. Like other troglobites, most amblyopsids exhibit adaptations to these dark environments, including the lack of functional eyes and the absence of pigmentation. More than 200 species of cavefishes are known, but only six of these are in the family Amblyopsidae. One of these, Forbesichthys agassizii, spends time both underground and aboveground. A seventh species in this family, Chologaster cornuta, is not a cave-dweller but lives in aboveground swamps.
==Description== thumb|The spring cavefish (Forbesichthys agassizii) spends some time aboveground and its adaptions to an underground habitat are not as extreme as most species in the family