Phreatobites are animals living within the

phreatic zone The phreatic zone, saturated zone, or zone of saturation, is the part of an aquifer, below the water table The water table is the upper surface of the phreatic zone or zone of saturation. The zone of saturation is where the pores and fractur ...

of groundwater aquifers. They are usually

isopod Isopoda is an Order (biology), order of crustaceans. Members of this group are called isopods and include both Aquatic animal, aquatic species and Terrestrial animal, terrestrial species such as woodlice. All have rigid, segmented exoskeletons ...

amphipod Amphipoda () is an order of malacostracan crustaceans with no carapace and generally with laterally compressed bodies. Amphipods () range in size from and are mostly detritivores or scavengers. There are more than 10,700 amphipod species cur ...

crustaceans such as species of '' Stygobromus'', though there is also a genus of snails ('' Phreatodrobia'') and '' Phreatobius'' are a genus of

catfish Catfish (or catfishes; order (biology), order Siluriformes or Nematognathi) are a diverse group of ray-finned fish. Catfish are common name, named for their prominent barbel (anatomy), barbels, which resemble a cat's whiskers, though not ...

living within flooded leaf litter. Alternative descriptions for such animals include

stygobite Stygofauna are any fauna that live in groundwater systems or aquifers, such as caves, fissures and vugs. Stygofauna and troglofauna are the two types of subterranean fauna (based on life-history). Both are associated with subterranean environme ...

troglobite A troglobite (or, formally, troglobiont) is an animal species, or population of a species, strictly bound to underground habitats, such as caves. These are separate from species that mainly live in above-ground habitats but are also able to live u ...

or Interstitial animals, as they live in water ''between'' the particles of the flooded

substrate Substrate may refer to: Physical layers *Substrate (biology), the natural environment in which an organism lives, or the surface or medium on which an organism grows or is attached ** Substrate (aquatic environment), the earthy material that exi ...

. They usually exhibit troglomorphism, with a loss of colour and eyesight, like the familiar blind cavefish which may also be referred to as 'phreatic fish'. Such animals can often be found in

well A well is an excavation or structure created on the earth by digging, driving, or drilling to access liquid resources, usually water. The oldest and most common kind of well is a water well, to access groundwater in underground aquifers. The ...

s, where human pursuit of water has dug down into their habitat.

References

{{animal-stub Animals by adaptation Aquifers