Journal Article
The first European cave fish
Behrmann-Godel, J., Nolte, A.W., Kreiselmaier, J., Berka, R. and Freyhof, J.
Record Number:
3015
Year:
2017
Journal:
Current Biology
Pages:
R257-R258
Volume:
27
Abstract:
Subterranean biodiversity in Europe is spectacularly rich, with the Western Balkans being home to about 400 cave species, representing the highest number of species per area worldwide. Nonetheless, cave fishes, which are the most commonly found vertebrates in underground habitats, have not been described from Europe so far. Here, we report the first European record of a cave fish population, a loach of the genus Barbatula (Figure 1), found in the Danube–Aach system, an underground karst water system in Southern Germany. The fish exhibit traits typically observed in organisms adapted to subterranean life including reduced eyes and pale body coloration. The newly discovered population also represents globally the northernmost cave fish found so far. The geological history of the region implies that the Danube–Aach system was colonized post-glacially. A recent origin of the cave fish is supported by genetic analyses, because the subterranean population shares COI gene haplotypes with adjacent surface stone loach (Barbatula barbatula) populations (Figure 1D). Nonetheless, population genetic analyses based on microsatellites indicated that cave fish are genetically isolated from populations in surface habitats (Figure 1E) and exhibit reduced genetic variability. Hence, the newly discovered European cave loaches do not represent individuals displaced from surface populations, but they follow a unique evolutionary trajectory towards cave life.
Times Cited:
1
Relevent Species:
Related Records:
Smyly, W.J.P. (1955)
On the biology of the Stone Loach Nemacheilus barbatula (L.)
Bacesu-Mester, L (1967)Contributions to the study of the genus Noemacheilus (Pisces, Cobitidae)
Perrin, J.F. (1980)Structure et functionement des ecosystemes du Haut-Rhone francaise. 14. etude des preferences alimentaire de la loche franche (Noemacheilus barbatulus L.) par une methode des points modifee
Bless, R. (1985)Zur regeneration von Blachen der Agarlandschaft - Eine ichthyologische Fallstudie
Maitland, P.S. and Campbell, R.N. (1992)Freshwater fishes of the British Isles
Hotzl, H (1996)Origin of the Danube-Aach system
Bromidge, N. (2004)Stone loach Barbatula barbatula
Kottelat, M. and Freyhof, J. (2007)Handbook of European freshwater fishes
Behrmann-Godel, J., Nolte, A.W., Kreiselmaier, J., Berka, R. and Freyhof, J. (2017)The first European cave fish
Coghlan, A. (2017)First ever cave fish discovered in Europe evolved super-fast
Behrmann-Godel, J. and Nolte, A.W. (2018)Evolutiv junge europäische Höhlenfische
Behrmann-Godel, J., Roch, S., Böhm, A., Jolles, J. and Brinker, A. (2023)Phenotypic plasticity and genetic differentiation drive troglomorphic character development in European cave loach
Jolles, J.W., Böhm, A., Brinker, A. and Behrmann-Godel, J. (2024)Unravelling the origins of boldness behaviour: a common garden experiment with cavefish (Barbatula barbatula)
Behrmann-Godel, J., Roch, S., Böhm, A., Jolles, J.W. and Brinker, A. (2024)Genetic differentiation and phenotypic plasticity drive troglomorphic character development in European cavefish