Animalia Life

Typhlichthys subterraneus
FAMILY
Amblyopsidae
TAXONOMY
Typhlichthys subterraneus Girard, 1859, a well near Bowling Green, Warren County, Kentucky, United States.
OTHER COMMON NAMES
None known.
PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS
Grows to 3.54 in (9.0 cm). They are pinkish in coloration and have a large, broad head. The eyes are not visible, being only vestigial in nature and covered by skin. Other defining characters include seven to 10 dorsal soft rays, seven to 10 anal soft rays, 10 to 15 caudal rays, and 28 to 29 vertebrae.
DISTRIBUTION
This species is found in the subterranean waters of two major disjunct ranges separated by the Mississippi River: the Ozark Plateau of central and southeastern Missouri and northeastern Arkansas and the Cumberland and Interior Low Plateaus of northwestern Alabama, northwestern Georgia, central Tennessee and Kentucky, and southern Indiana.
HABITAT
They are found in caves near the water table.
BEHAVIOR
They do not respond to light.
FEEDING ECOLOGY AND DIET
Feeds mainly on copepods, amphipods, isopods, insects, and worms.
REPRODUCTIVE BIOLOGY
Breeding probably occurs in late spring in association with rising water levels, and spawning takes place between April and May. The females lay fewer than 50 eggs each. They grow slowly and can live up to four years.
CONSERVATION STATUS
Classified as Vulnerable by the IUCN.
SIGNIFICANCE TO HUMANS
They are of particular scientific value as a cave species.

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