page_title: Amblyopsidae
section_title: Ecology
hierarchical_section_title: Amblyopsidae / Ecology
caption_attribution_description: Speoplatyrhinus poulsoni English: Alabama Cavefish
context_page_description: The Amblyopsidae are a fish family commonly referred to as cavefish, blindfish, or swampfish. They are small freshwater fish found in the dark environments of caves, springs and swamps in the eastern half of the United States. Like other troglobites, most amblyopsids exhibit adaptations to these dark environments, including the lack of functional eyes and the absence of pigmentation. More than 200 species of cavefishes are known, but only six of these are in the family Amblyopsidae. One of these, Forbesichthys agassizii, spends time both underground and aboveground. A seventh species in this family, Chologaster cornuta, is not a cave-dweller but lives in aboveground swamps.
context_section_description: Although the cave habitat generally offers a poor food supply, the advantages of the environment include extremely stable conditions, few competitors, and few predators.
  Since the cave environment is dark, no plant life is performing photosynthesis, and food is mainly introduced from the outside world by other organisms. Limited food leads to low population density, which has been estimated for Amblyopsidae to be only about 0.005 to 0.150 animals per square meter.
  Cave habitats are vulnerable to changes in the environment such as water pollution and exotic species. The Alabama cavefish (Speoplatyrhinus poulsoni), which live only in the Key Cave in Alabama, is listed as Critically Endangered by the IUCN, the highest risk class.
caption: The Alabama cavefish (Speoplatyrhinus poulsoni) has a tiny range and is very rare
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