Blind fish

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Blind fish
Amblyopsis rosae

Amblyopsis rosae

Systematics
Cohort : Euteleosteomorpha
Sub-cohort : Neoteleostei
Acanthomorphata
Paracanthopterygii
Order : Percopsiformes (Percopsiformes)
Family : Blind fish
Scientific name
Amblyopsidae
Bonaparte , 1846

The blind fish (Amblyopsidae), and North American cave fish called, are a family within the order of perch-like salmon (Percopsiformes). Most species live in caves in the southern and eastern United States and are adapted to life in the dark. Only the Trugkärpfling ( Chologaster cornuta ) occurs in surface waters.

features

Blind fish are spindle-shaped, rather small, are six to eleven centimeters long and have no pigmentation , which is why they appear white. The eyes are rudimentary, only Amblyopsis spelaea has small eyes. Young fish still have small eyes, but they quickly degenerate and are overgrown by skin. The body is covered by irregularly arranged cycloid scales, the head is scaly. The mouth is large, with a usually protruding lower jaw. The premaxillary (a bone of the upper jaw) is segmented, the jaw and palatal bone are dentate. In folded bulges on the head, trunk and tail sit in rows, papilla-like distant sense organs. The pelvic fins are missing, only Amblyopsis spelaea still has small pelvic fins with 0 to 6 fin rays . The dorsal and anal fins are almost symmetrically opposite each other. An adipose fin is missing.

Fin formula : dorsal 0 – II / 7–12, anal 0 – II / 7–11.

The lateral line organ is missing or incomplete. The fish have 27 to 35 vertebrae . In adult blind fish, the sexual papilla lies in the throat between the gill membranes. The eggs released (up to 70) get into the gill cavity of the females, are only inseminated there and there very slowly hatched (gill cavity breeder). The larvae hatch after about eight weeks.

Systematics

The blind fish are divided into seven species in five genera :

Forbesichthys agassizii with the remote sensing organs drawn.
Typhlichthys subterraneus

literature

Web links

Commons : Amblyopsidae  - Collection of images, videos and audio files