Salem Plateau Cavefish
Typhlichthys eigenmanni Charlton, 1933
Taxonomy
| Kingdom | Animalia |
|---|---|
| Phylum | Chordata |
| Subphylum | Vertebrata |
| Class | Actinopterygii |
| Order | Percopsiformes |
| Family | Amblyopsidae |
| Genus | Typhlichthys |
| Species | Typhlichthys eigenmanni Charlton, 1933 |
Description
Diagnostic characters
- Ecological class
- Stygobiont
- Realm
- Aquatic
- Troglomorphy
- Troglomorphic
- Maximum length
- No information listed mm
Distribution
Type locality
Ha Ha Tonka State Park, Camden Co., Missouri
Range
Known from 16 counties across two states in the Ozarks karst region.
Continent
North America
Country
United States
States and provinces
Arkansas, Missouri
Counties
- Arkansas
- Baxter, Fulton, Randolph, Stone
- Missouri
- Camden, Carter, Dent, Howell, Jasper, LaClede, Oregon, Phelps, Ripley, Shannon, St. Francois, Wayne
Karst regions
Ozarks
Genetics
Molecular resources
| Marker | Molecule | Sequences | Length | Exemplar |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| other | unknown | 105 | 600-855 bp | HQ729705.1 |
| ND | mitochondrial | 21 | 1044-1047 bp | JN592351.1 |
| RAG1 | nuclear | 21 | 1431-1433 bp | JN592179.1 |
| genome | nuclear | 1 | GCA_027564635.1 |
148 sequences, retrieved 23 August 2026. Counts change as sequences are deposited. Search GenBank.
Download all 148 sequence records (CSV) Accession, marker, molecule type, length, GenBank definition and a direct link.
- Nuclear genome
- Available
Specimens
Collections holding material
| Institution | Lots |
|---|---|
| Auburn University Museum of Natural History | 10 |
| University of Texas Biodiversity Center | 8 |
| University of Michigan Museum of Zoology | 5 |
| Museum of Comparative Zoology, Harvard | 3 |
| Illinois Natural History Survey | 2 |
| Cornell University Museum of Vertebrates | 1 |
| and 4 other collections | 4 |
33 cataloged lots in 10 collections. Compiled from GBIF and not an exhaustive census: many collections are not yet digitised, and holdings are added continually. Search GBIF for specimen records.
Download all 33 specimen records (CSV) Institution, catalog number, type status and preparation. No coordinates.
Conservation and management
NatureServe
G3 Vulnerable
Global rank last reviewed 2023.
Subnational ranks
- Arkansas
- S1 Critically Imperiled
- Missouri
- S2S3 Imperiled to Vulnerable
State and federal status
Not listed under the U.S. Endangered Species Act.
Other resources
References
- Adams, G.L., Burr, B.M. & Warren, Jr., M.L. 2020. Chapter 21. Amblyopsidae: cavefishes. In: Warren, Jr., M.L & Burr, B.M. (eds), Freshwater Fishes of North America. Volume 2. Characidae to Poeciliidae, pp. 281–321. John Hopkins University Press, Baltimore, Maryland, USA.
- Dunivan, J.D., Tumlison, C.R. & McDaniel, V.R. 1982. Cave fauna of Arkansas: further records. Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science 36: 87–88. https://scholarworks.uark.edu/jaas/vol36/iss1/28. details
- Hart, P.B., Niemiller, M.L., Armbruster, J.W. & Chakrabarty, P. 2024. Conservation implications for the world’s most widely distributed cavefish species complex based on population genomics (Typhlichthys, Percopsiformes). Conservation Genetics 25: 165–177. doi:10.1007/s10592-023-01562-x
- Hart, P.B., Rincon-Sandoval, M., Melendez-Vazquex, F., Armbruster, J.W., Troyer, E.M., Bierstein, O.M., Gough, B.J., Betancur-R, R., Niemiller, M.L. & Arcila, D. 2025. Ancient climate changes and relaxed selection shape cave colonization in North American cavefishes. Proceedings of the Royal Society B 292: 20242516. doi:10.1098/rspb.2024.2516
- McDaniel, V.R. & Gardner, J.E. 1977. Cave fauna of Arkansas: vertebrate taxa. Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science 31: 68–71. https://scholarworks.uark.edu/jaas/vol31/iss1/22. details
- Nicholas, G. 1960. Checklist of macroscopic troglobitic organisms of the United States. The American Midland Naturalist 64: 123–160. doi:10.2307/2422897
- Niemiller, M.L., Fitzpatrick, B.M., Shah, P., Schmitz, L. & Near, T.J. 2013d. Evidence for repeated loss of selective constraint in rhodopsin of amblyopsid cavefishes (Teleostei: Amblyopsidae). Evolution 67: 732–748. doi:10.1111/j.1558-5646.2012.01822.x
- Niemiller, M.L., Graening, G.O., Fenolio, D.B., Godwin, J.C., Cooley, J.R., Pearson, W.D., Fitzpatrick, B.M. & Near, T.J. 2013a. Doomed before they are described? The need for conservation assessments of cryptic species complexes using an amblyopsid cavefish (Amblyopsidae: Typhlichthys) as a case study. Biodiversity and Conservation 22: 1799–1820. doi:10.1007/s10531-013-0514-4
- Niemiller, M.L., Near, T.J. & Fitzpatrick, B.M. 2012a. Delimiting species using multilocus data: diagnosing cryptic diversity in the southern cavefish, Typhlichthys subterraneus (Teleostei: Amblyopsidae). Evolution 66: 846–866. doi:10.1111/j.1558-5646.2011.01480.x
- Paige, K.N., Tumlison, C.R. & McDaniel, V.R. 1981. A second record of Typhlichthys subterraneus (Pisces: Amblyopsidae) from Arkansas. The Southwestern Naturalist 26: 67. doi:10.2307/3671332
- Poulson, T.L. 1961. Cave adaptation in amblyopsid cavefishes. University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA. 185 pp. doi:10.7302/9847
- Romero, A. & Conner, M. 2007. Status report for the southern cavefish, Typhlichthys subterraneus in Arkansas. Arkansas Game and Fish Commission, Little Rock, Arkansas, USA. 37 pp. https://academicworks.cuny.edu/bb_pubs/296/. details
- Romero, A., Conner, M.S. & Vaughan, G.L. 2010. Population status of the southern cavefish, Typhlichthys subterraneus in Arkansas. Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science 64: 106–110. doi:10.54119/jaas.2010.6413
- Swofford, D.L. 1976. Genetic variability, population differentiation and biochemical relationships in the family Amblyopsidae. Eastern Kentucky University, Richmond, Kentucky, USA. 193 pp.
- Woods, L.P. & Inger, R.F. 1957. The cave, spring, and swamp fishes of the family Amblyopsidae of central and eastern United States. The American Midland Naturalist 58: 232–256. doi:10.2307/2422371
This account was last revised 28 August 2026.
How to cite this account
Data sources and funding are listed in the Acknowledgments.
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