Golden_cave_catfish

<i>Clarias cavernicola</i>

Clarias cavernicola

An airbreathing cave catfish

The cave catfish[2] (Clarias cavernicola)[3] is a critically endangered species of airbreathing catfish.[4] This cavefish is only known to live in the Aigamas cave, Otjozondjupa region, Namibia.[5][6] It has also been reported from the nearby Dragon's Breath Cave.[7] The golden cave catfish lack pigmentation and are up to 16.1 cm (6.3 inches) in standard length.[6] They have very small eyes that are covered with skin, and are probably effectively blind.[6] They feed on detritus and invertebrates that fall into the lake in which they live. The population is estimated at 200–400 individuals.[8] Little is known about its reproduction, and attempts to breed it in captivity have failed.[9] The population is threatened by chance events and water extraction from the cave lake, which has resulted in a drop of the water level.[4]

Quick Facts Cave catfish, Conservation status ...

It is the only known cavefish in mainland Southern Africa.[10]

See also

References

  1. [1]
    Bills, R. (2007). "Clarias cavernicola". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2007: e.T63363A12662977. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2007.RLTS.T63363A12662977.en. Retrieved 12 November 2021.
  2. [2]
    https://fishbase.mnhn.fr/summary/Clarias-cavernicola.doc
  3. [3]
    "Clarias cavernicola". Integrated Taxonomic Information System. Retrieved 24 January 2006.
  4. [4]
    Bills, R. (2007). "Clarias cavernicola". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2007: e.T63363A12662977. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2007.RLTS.T63363A12662977.en. Retrieved 12 November 2021. Listed as Critically Endangered (CR B1+2c, E v2.3)
  5. [5]
    Cave catfish (Clarias cavernicola) at ARKive Archived 2005-11-26 at the Wayback Machine. Images of Life on Earth
  6. [6]
    Froese, Rainer; Pauly, Daniel (eds.) (2011). "Clarias cavernicola" in FishBase. December 2011 version.
  7. [7]
    Proudlove, G.H. (2018–2019). "Clarias cavernicola". cavefishes.org.uk. Retrieved 28 October 2019.
  8. [8]
    Bruton, M. N. (1995). "Threatened fishes of the world:Clarias cavernicola Trewavas, 1936 (Clariidae)". Environmental Biology of Fishes. 43 (2): 162. doi:10.1007/BF00002486. S2CID 44350023.
  9. [9]
    "Clarias cavernicola". 2005-02-19. Archived from the original on 2005-02-19. Retrieved 2020-07-01.
  10. [10]
    Aldemaro, R., editor (2001). The Biology of Hypogean Fishes. Developments in Environmental Biology of Fishes. ISBN 978-1402000768


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