Rare species of catfish have been found in underground caves in Texas, USA. Previously, it was thought that this catfish lived only in areas of Mexico.
Discover underground caves for rare catfish
According to TechTimes' June 18 report, the eyeless catfish was identified as a Mexican catfish, also known as Prietella phreatophila, found in May in a deep underground limestone cave in Amistad National Recreation Area near Del Rio.
The catfish is less than 10 cm long
Eyeless fish
Scientists have found a pair of Mexican catfish. Dean Hendrickson, a fish museum researcher at the University of Texas at Austin, confirmed that the catfish had been sent to the San Antonio Zoo.
The Mexican catfish is an endangered species, living only underground, swimming slowly, reaching up to 7.7 cm (3 inches) long, and maintaining a bright pink color. Because its skin is transparent, the red blood in its body can be seen through the skin.
The catfish is an endangered species
The catfish was first described in 1954, when hagfish were found to survive in springs and wells in the Mexican state of Coahuila. Since then, the catfish has been listed as endangered by the Mexican government and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS).
In April 2015, Jack Johnson, resource manager at the Armisted National Park Service, saw a herd of eyeless fish for the first time. Since then, a team of biologists he organized has found more eyeless fish last month.
The underground water vein connects Texas with Mexico
The finding suggests that groundwater caves in the Grand River Basin in Texas and northern Coahuila may connect the Edwards-Trinity-Plateau Aquifer between the United States and Mexico, where it was previously thought that hagfish lived only in the Edwards Trinity Aquifer.
The head of a catfish
Hendrickson said, "I've seen more than anyone else, and the fish do look like they're coming from Mexico."
According to researcher Hendrickson, there have been rumors of white catfish in the area since 1960 and it has now been confirmed that the rumors are true.
The skin of the catfish is transparent
To date, two other species of eyeless fish have been found in the Edwards Trinity Plateau aquifer, namely toothless blindcat (scientific name "cave catfish") and widemouth blindcat (scientific name "wide-mouthed Satan catfish").