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Cave Biology Data Portal
Subterranean biodiversity of North America and around the globe
AnimaliaChordataVertebrataActinopterygiiPercopsiformesAmblyopsidaeSpeoplatyrhinus

Alabama cavefish
Speoplatyrhinus poulsoni Cooper & Kuehne, 1974

Taxonomy

Kingdom Animalia
Phylum Chordata
Subphylum Vertebrata
Class Actinopterygii
Order Percopsiformes
Family Amblyopsidae
Genus Speoplatyrhinus
Species Speoplatyrhinus poulsoni Cooper & Kuehne, 1974

Description

Diagnostic characters

Ecological class
Stygobiont
Realm
Aquatic
Troglomorphy
Troglomorphic
Maximum body length
60 mm

Distribution

Type locality

Key Cave, Lauderdale Co., AL

Range

Known from Alabama in the Interior Low Plateau karst region.

Continent

North America

Country

United States

States and provinces

Alabama

Counties

County-level records have not been compiled for this taxon. Distribution is recorded at state and karst-region level.

Karst regions

Interior Low Plateau

Genetics

Molecular resources

MarkerMoleculeSequences LengthExemplar
other unknown 17 600-17901 bp PZ091432.1
ND mitochondrial 4 412-1047 bp HQ338405.1
16S mitochondrial 2 535-582 bp JX121826.1
RAG1 nuclear 2 1433-1433 bp HQ707710.1
genome nuclear 1 GCA_025447795.1
28S nuclear 1 654-654 bp JX121776.1

27 sequences, retrieved 23 August 2026. Counts change as sequences are deposited. Search GenBank.

Download all 27 sequence records (CSV) Accession, marker, molecule type, length, GenBank definition and a direct link.

Nuclear genome
Available

Specimens

Type material

Holotype
USNM 204999 · National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution
Paratype
3705.01 · Alabama Museum of Natural History
Paratype
USNM 204998 · National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution
Topotype
197679 · University of Michigan Museum of Zoology

Collections holding material

InstitutionLots
Alabama Museum of Natural History 6
National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution 2
University of Michigan Museum of Zoology 1

9 cataloged lots in 3 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 9 specimen records (CSV) Institution, catalog number, type status and preparation. No coordinates.

Conservation and management

IUCN Red List

CR Critically Endangered B1ab(iii)+2ab(iii)

EXEWCR▲ENVUNTLC

Assessed in 2012.

NatureServe

G1 Critically Imperiled

G1▲G2G3G4G5

Global rank last reviewed 12 April 2012.

Subnational ranks

Alabama
S1 Critically Imperiled

State and federal status

Endangered under the U.S. Endangered Species Act listed 1987

Federal: Endangered

Threats

  • Urbanization - Residential
  • Urbanization - Comm. & Industrial
  • Recreational/Commerical Cave Activities
  • Dams & Water Extraction
  • Invasive Species
  • Diseases

Other resources

Catalogue of Life
4YJ7X
GBIF
2401719
ITIS
164397
iNaturalist
112886
NCBI Taxonomy
940468

How to cite this account

Speoplatyrhinus poulsoni Cooper & Kuehne, 1974. Cave Biology Data Portal, account SP-1355. https://cavebiology.org/species/speoplatyrhinus-poulsoni/ (accessed 3 September 2026).

Data sources and funding are listed in the Acknowledgments.

Spotted something wrong on this page? Report a correction. Accounts are compiled from many sources and corrections from people who know the group are the most useful email we get.

Cave Biology Data Portal

Species accounts, distributions, and conservation status for the subterranean fauna of North America and around the globe, with resources for the cave and karst research community.

Text and data CC BY 4.0. Images all rights reserved unless stated.

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