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Amblyopsidae
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,Riesch, R.; Tobler, M.; and Plath, M. (2015). ''Extremophile Fishes: Ecology, Evolution, and Physiology of Teleosts in Extreme Environments.'' but only six of these are in the family Amblyopsidae.Romero, A., editor (2001). ''The Biology of Hypogean Fishes.'' Developments in Environmental Biology of Fishes. 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 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Cavefish
Cavefish or cave fish is a generic term for fresh and brackish water fish adapted to life in caves and other underground habitats. Related terms are subterranean fish, Troglomorphism, troglomorphic fish, troglobitic fish, stygobitic fish, phreatic fish, and hypogean fish.Romero, Aldemaro, editor (2001). ''The Biology of Hypogean Fishes.'' Developments in Environmental Biology of Fishes. Helfman, G.S. (2007). ''Fish Conservation: A Guide to Understanding and Restoring Global Aquatic Biodiversity and Fishery Resources'', pp. 41–42. Island Press. There are more than 200 Species description, scientifically described species of obligate cavefish found on all continents, except Antarctica. Although widespread as a group, many species have very small ranges and are Threatened species, threatened.Fenolio, D.B.; Zhao, Y.; Niemiller, M.L.; and Stout, J. (2013). ''In-situ observations of seven enigmatic cave loaches and one cave barbel from Guangxi, China, with notes on conservation sta ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Forbesichthys Agassizii
The spring cavefish (''Forbesichthys agassizii'') is the only member of the genus ''Forbesichthys'' and is one of seven species in the family Amblyopsidae. This species is listed as state endangered in Missouri, but it is considered to be of least concern by the IUCN Red List due to its relatively large population size and number of subpopulations. The spring cavefish inhabits caves, springs, spring runs, and spring seeps. It is subterranean, emerging at dusk and retreating underground an hour or two before dawn. The species is located within areas of the central and southeastern United States. It stays underground after dawn, but then emerges into surface waters at dusk. They are a carnivorous fish and are well adapted to their environment. The species' breeding behavior is rarely documented. Spawning occurs underground and in darkness between January and April. The status and distribution of cave-obligate species is incomplete or lacking entirely, which makes conservation and ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Amblyopsis
''Amblyopsis'' is a genus of small (up to long) fish in the family Amblyopsidae that are endemic to the central and eastern United States. Like other cavefish, they lack pigmentation and are blind. The most recently described species was in 2014. Uniquely among fish, ''Amblyopsis'' brood their eggs in the gill chambers (somewhat like mouthbrooders). It was formerly incorrectly speculated that the same brooding behavior existed in other genera in the family and in the pirate perch (''Aphredoderus sayanus''). During the Pleistocene period, the modern Ohio river was a barrier of dispersal and created a great genetic variation, leading to two phylogenetically distinct lineages from the species Amblyopsis. Species There are currently 3 species A species () is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate sexes or mating types can produce fertile offspring, typically by sexual reproduction. It is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biolo ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Chologaster Cornuta
''Chologaster cornuta'', commonly named swampfish, ricefish, or riceditch killifish, is a freshwater fish of the family Amblyopsidae. It is the only living species of the genus ''Chologaster''. It only lives in US rivers in the Atlantic Coastal Plain drainages, from southeast Virginia to central Georgia. It lives up to two years. The Latin name refers to a very tiny horned bulge at front of the eye. They are commonly long, but may reach about . Characteristics This species is part of the family Amblyopsidae (typically known as cavefish or blindfish). It is dorsally brown and ventrally creamy white, with three dark stripes on each side. It inhabits above-ground swamps, rather than caves as most other species in its family. Although many Amblyopsidae species have vestigial eyes, the swampfish has functional eyes. Behavior ''Chologaster cornuta'' feeds mostly at night, on small crustaceans and aquatic insects. It spawns in March and April. Although locally common, individuals are h ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Hoosier Cavefish
The Hoosier cavefish (''Amblyopsis hoosieri'') is a subterranean species of blind fish from southern Indiana in the United States. Described in 2014, ''A. hoosieri'' was the first new species of amblyopsid cavefish to be discovered in 40 years. Etymology The specific name is derived from the word "Hoosier", the name for a resident of the state of Indiana. The choice of the name was also influenced by the fact that Prosanta Chakrabarty, the senior author of the paper that first described the species, was a fan of the Indiana Hoosiers college basketball team. Discovery During a 2013 study of '' Amblyopsis spelaea'', scientists found that the species was divided into two distinct evolutionary lineages: one north of the Ohio River, in Indiana, and one south of the river, in Kentucky. The northern population was described as a new species in a 2014 paper published in the journal ''ZooKeys'', making it the first new species of amblyopsid cavefish to have been discovered in the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Chologaster
''Chologaster cornuta'', commonly named swampfish, ricefish, or riceditch killifish, is a freshwater fish of the family Amblyopsidae. It is the only living species of the genus ''Chologaster''. It only lives in US rivers in the Atlantic Coastal Plain drainages, from southeast Virginia to central Georgia. It lives up to two years. The Latin name refers to a very tiny horned bulge at front of the eye. They are commonly long, but may reach about . Characteristics This species is part of the family Amblyopsidae (typically known as cavefish or blindfish). It is dorsally brown and ventrally creamy white, with three dark stripes on each side. It inhabits above-ground swamps, rather than caves as most other species in its family. Although many Amblyopsidae species have vestigial eyes, the swampfish has functional eyes. Behavior ''Chologaster cornuta'' feeds mostly at night, on small crustaceans and aquatic insects. It spawns in March and April. Although locally common, individuals are h ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Northern Cavefish
The northern cavefish or northern blindfish (''Amblyopsis spelaea'') is found in caves through Kentucky and southern Indiana. The International Union for Conservation of Nature lists the species as near threatened. The life cycle of northern cavefish includes a protolarval stage. In this stage, eggs and those that have recently hatched into protolarvae are kept by the mother internally in a gill chamber. Juveniles become free swimming and can leave. The northern cavefish lives to a maximum age of at least ten years and reaches sexual maturity at approximately six years of age. Some estimates suggest that speciments may live up to 30-40 years in environments with stable food supplies. During a 2013 study of ''Amblyopsis spelaea'', scientists found that the species was divided into two distinct evolutionary lineages: one north of the Ohio River, in Indiana, and one south of the river, in Kentucky. The southern population retained the name ''A. spelaea'' and the northern was r ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Trout-perch
''Percopsis omiscomaycus'', also known as the trout-perch, the grounder or the sand minnow, is one of two species in the family Percopsidae. Its name comes from the Greek root words ''perc'', meaning perch and ''opsi'' meaning appearance. The species name ''omiscomaycus'' is thought to be derived from a Native American word meaning ''trout''. These are freshwater fish that prefer clear to slightly turbid water, and are found in rivers and lakes throughout North America.Bosanko, Dave (2007), "Fish of Minnesota – Field Guide", pp. 162–163, Adventure Publication, Cambridge, MN. They are a generally small fish found in deep waters by day, but which migrate to shallower waters at night.They are most often seen washed up on beaches and are rarely seen alive or correctly identified. The trout-perch possess characteristics similar to both the trout and the perch.Bramblett, Robert, "Montana Cooperative Fishery Research Unit", Department of Ecology, Montana State University-Bozem ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Killifish
A killifish is any of various oviparous (egg-laying) cyprinodontiform fish, including families Aplocheilidae, Pantanodontidae, Cyprinodontidae, Fundulidae, Nothobranchiidae, Profundulidae, Aphaniidae and Valenciidae. All together, there are 1,270 species of killifish, the biggest family being Rivulidae, containing more than 320 species. As an adaptation to living in ephemeral waters, the eggs of most killifish can survive periods of partial dehydration. Many of the species rely on such a diapause, since the eggs would not survive more than a few weeks if entirely submerged in water. The adults of some species, such as ''Kryptolebias marmoratus'', can additionally survive out of the water for several weeks. Most killifish are small, measuring from , with the largest species growing to just under . The word ''killifish'' is of uncertain origin, but is likely to have come from the Dutch ''kil'' for a kill (small stream). Although killifish is sometimes used as an English eq ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Vertebrae
Each vertebra (: vertebrae) is an irregular bone with a complex structure composed of bone and some hyaline cartilage, that make up the vertebral column or spine, of vertebrates. The proportions of the vertebrae differ according to their spinal segment and the particular species. The basic configuration of a vertebra varies; the vertebral body (also ''centrum'') is of bone and bears the load of the vertebral column. The upper and lower surfaces of the vertebra body give attachment to the intervertebral discs. The posterior part of a vertebra forms a vertebral arch, in eleven parts, consisting of two pedicles (pedicle of vertebral arch), two laminae, and seven process (anatomy), processes. The laminae give attachment to the ligamenta flava (ligaments of the spine). There are vertebral notches formed from the shape of the pedicles, which form the intervertebral foramina when the vertebrae articulation (anatomy), articulate. These foramina are the entry and exit conduits for the spi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ventral Fin
Pelvic fins or ventral fins are paired fins located on the ventral (belly) surface of fish, and are the lower of the only two sets of paired fins (the other being the laterally positioned pectoral fins). The pelvic fins are homologous to the hindlimbs of tetrapods, which evolved from lobe-finned fish during the Middle Devonian. Structure and function Structure In actinopterygians, the pelvic fin consists of two endochondrally-derived bony girdles attached to bony radials. Dermal fin rays (lepidotrichia) are positioned distally from the radials. There are three pairs of muscles each on the dorsal and ventral side of the pelvic fin girdle that abduct and adduct the fin from the body. Pelvic fin structures can be extremely specialized in actinopterygians. Gobiids and lumpsuckers modify their pelvic fins into a sucker disk that allow them to adhere to the substrate or climb structures, such as waterfalls. In priapiumfish, males have modified their pelvic structures into a spiny ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Teeth
A tooth (: teeth) is a hard, calcified structure found in the jaws (or mouths) of many vertebrates and used to break down food. Some animals, particularly carnivores and omnivores, also use teeth to help with capturing or wounding prey, tearing food, for defensive purposes, to intimidate other animals often including their own, or to carry prey or their young. The roots of teeth are covered by gums. Teeth are not made of bone, but rather of multiple tissues of varying density and hardness that originate from the outermost embryonic germ layer, the ectoderm. The general structure of teeth is similar across the vertebrates, although there is considerable variation in their form and position. The teeth of mammals have deep roots, and this pattern is also found in some fish, and in crocodilians. In most teleost fish, however, the teeth are attached to the outer surface of the bone, while in lizards they are attached to the inner surface of the jaw by one side. In cartilaginous ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
