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Forbesichthys agassizii  (Putnam, 1872)

Spring cavefish
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Image of Forbesichthys agassizii (Spring cavefish)
Forbesichthys agassizii
Picture by Niemiller, M.L.

Classification / Names Common names | Synonyms | Catalog of Fishes (gen., sp.) | ITIS | CoL | WoRMS | Cloffa

Actinopterygii (ray-finned fishes) > Percopsiformes (Trout-perches, pirate perches and cavef) > Amblyopsidae (Cavefishes)
Etymology: agassizii: Named after the great naturalist Louis Agassiz (Ref. 10294).

Environment / Climate / Range Ecology

Freshwater; demersal.   Temperate, preferred ?; 39°N - 35°N

Distribution Countries | FAO areas | Ecosystems | Occurrences | Point map | Introductions | Faunafri

North America: portions of Tennessee, Kentucky, Illinois and Missouri, U.S.A.

Size / Weight / Age

Maturity: Lm ?  range ? - ? cm
Max length : 9.0 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 10294); common length : 5.3 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 12193); max. reported age: 3 years (Ref. 10294)

Short description Morphology | Morphometrics

Dorsal soft rays (total): 9-11; Anal soft rays: 9 - 11; Vertebrae: 33 - 35. Scales minute and embedded. Pelvic fins absent. Branched caudal fin rays 11-17; branchiostegal rays 6. Triads of sensory papillae occur midlaterally and scattered clusters of neuromasts are present on the head. Coloration uniform dark gray to back with paler venter.

Biology     Glossary (e.g. epibenthic)

Adults occur in springs and caves (but almost always near surface). They live underground but emerge above ground in springs (Ref. 5723). Active in springs at night and usually retreat underground during the day. The few individuals which venture into the spring portions of their habitat may show strong rheotaxis for half to one-minute periods but usually show strong thigmotaxis and hide under rocks or debris (Ref. 34868). Feed at night on amphipods, midge larvae, tiny worms and micro-crustaceans. Fecundity averages about 100 eggs per female (Ref. 10294). Eggs are carried in gill chambers of females (Ref. 205).

Life cycle and mating behavior Maturity | Reproduction | Spawning | Eggs | Fecundity | Larvae

Incubates eggs in gill chamber of females (Ref. 205).

Main reference Upload your references | References | Coordinator | Collaborators

Etnier, D.A. and W.C. Starnes, 1993. The fishes of Tennessee. The University of Tennessee Press, Knoxville, Tennessee, USA. (pls. check date). (Ref. 10294)

IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 115185)

  Least Concern (LC) 

CITES (Ref. 94142)

Not Evaluated

Threat to humans

  Harmless




Human uses

FAO(Publication : search) | FisheriesWiki | Sea Around Us

More information

Countries
FAO areas
Ecosystems
Occurrences
Introductions
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Ecology
Diet
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Common names
Synonyms
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Predators
Ecotoxicology
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Spawning
Fecundity
Eggs
Egg development
Age/Size
Growth
Length-weight
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Morphometrics
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Ciguatera
Speed
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Otoliths
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Tools

E-book | Field guide | Length-frequency wizard | Life-history tool | Point map | Classification Tree | Catch-MSY |

Special reports

Check for Aquarium maintenance | Check for Species Fact Sheets | Check for Aquaculture Fact Sheets

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Summary page | Point data | Common names | Photos

Internet sources

Alien/Invasive Species database | BHL | Cloffa | Websites from users | Check FishWatcher | CISTI | Catalog of Fishes (gen., sp.) | DiscoverLife | ECOTOX | Faunafri | Fishes of Iran | Fishtrace | GenBank(genome, nucleotide) | GloBI | GOBASE | Google Books | Google Scholar | Google | IGFA World Record | MitoFish | Otolith Atlas of Taiwan Fishes | PubMed | Reef Life Survey | Scirus | SeaLifeBase | Tree of Life | Wikipedia(Go, Search) | World Records Freshwater Fishing | Zoological Record

Estimates of some properties based on models

Phylogenetic diversity index (Ref. 82805):  PD50 = 1.0088   [Uniqueness, from 0.5 = low to 2.0 = high].
Bayesian length-weight: a=0.00389 (0.00180 - 0.00842), b=3.12 (2.94 - 3.30), in cm Total Length, based on all LWR estimates for this body shape (Ref. 93245).
Trophic Level (Ref. 69278):  3.3   ±0.44 se; Based on food items.
Resilience (Ref. 69278):  High, minimum population doubling time less than 15 months (K=0.67; tm=1; tmax=3; Fec = 100).
Prior r = 1.09, 2 SD range = 0.47 - 2.48, log(r) = 0.09, SD log(r) = 0.41, Based on: 1 M, 1 K, 1 tgen, 1 tmax, 1 Fec records
Vulnerability (Ref. 59153):  Low vulnerability (21 of 100) .