Lucifuga spelaeotes
Cohen and Robins 1970
| ORDER | SUB-ORDER | FAMILY |
|---|---|---|
| Ophidiiformes | Bythitoidei | Bythitidae |
Synonyms
None.
The specific name has been misspelt speliotes by Anonymous (1979) and speleotes by Warner and Stroes Gascoyne (1981), Palmer (1982) and Cunliffe (1985).
Country
BahamasTypes
Holotype: USNM 204603 adult male 109mm SL
Paratype: USNM 204604 female 76.5mm SL
Distribution
Type locality: Mermaids Pool, New Providence Island, Bahamas (25o00’N, 77o30’W). Recorded also from other sites on New providence (Cohen and McCosker 1998, Attrill pers. comm.), Andros Island (Warner and Stroes‑Gascoyne 1981, Proudlove 1984), Berry Island (specimen UMMZ 213989), Long Island (specimen AMNH 57448), Exuma Island (Cohen and McCosker 1998) and Eleuthera (Moller, Schwarzhans, Iliffe and Nielsen 2006) (22-27oN, 72-80oW). (See also Palmer (1982), Farr and Palmer (1984:12) and Palmer (1986a 1986b)). Known only from locations on the Grand Bahama Bank (cf. Lucifuga lucayana which is known only from the Little Bahama Bank).
An individual from Swimming Hole, Congo Town, South Andros Island (TB 370750, also known as Jellyfish Lake) was noted to be 25cm in length and the largest ever observed (Palmer, Hutchinson, Schwabe and Whitaker 1998:100).
Habitat
This fish lives in anchialine caves (Iliffe 1992; 2000) on several Bahamian Islands. Some of them (e.g. Mermaids Pool, Uncle Charlie’s Blue Hole) are typical inland holes of the cenote type, circular openings between 30 and 250m across and from 2 to 110m depth. They contain freshwater from the surface down to a mixing zone at variable depths and below this full strength sea water (Smart 1984, Porter 1993). L. spelaeotes was collected in the freshwater zone of Uncle Charlie’s Blue Hole (Farr and Palmer 1984; Proudlove 1984), together with the grapsid crab Sesarma angustipes. One individual from this site was placed in a dish of sea water and appeared quite happy so it is possible that migration is possible within the extensive sea water filled passages. Other populations are known from typical marine Blue Holes (see e.g. Farr and Palmer 1984). These are subhorizontal passages, up to several km in length, which open beneath the sea and carry flows of freshwater from inland. A third habitat type, deep fracture oriented chasms, is seen on Grand Bahama (Palmer 1985; Cunliffe 1985).
Systematics
Placed in the subgenus Stygicola by Cohen and Robins (1970) because of the presence of palatine teeth and a pectoral fin ray count of 15-20. In the subfamily Brosmophycinae. This species cannot now consist of a panmictic population as its many populations are separated by impassable epigean sea water barriers. The morphological similarity of the animals may be as a result of lack of divergence from a once widespread ancestor (when the sea levels were lower and the Bahamian banks were much larger), or they are morphospecies.
Conservation Status
(Dooley, J., Collette, B., Aiken, K.A., Marechal, J. and Pina Amargos, F. 2015. Lucifuga spelaeotes. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2015: http://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2015-4.RLTS.T12398A19929465.en. Downloaded on 10 July 2017.
Some of these criteria relate to a decline in area of occupancy and/or quality of habitat (A1c) and the effects of pollutants, pathogens etc. (A1e). Others relate to a continuing decline in other important habitat characteristics (B1+2bc). The D2 criterion is applied if the population is estimated as less than 1000, the area of occupancy is less than 100 km2 , or the number of recorded locations is less than 5. If the population of this species on New Providence is considered alone these criteria seem reasonable as the island is small and heavily populated. If the other populations on Grand Bahama, Abaco, Andros, Long Island and Berry Island are added these criteria cannot be supported. The habitats on the other islands are under much less pressure than those on New Providence and the area of occupancy is at least 30800 km2 (220 km x 140 km). Currently this species meets LC, the only subterranean species to do so. Barton and Wilmhoff (1996) record a number of introduced species of fishes on New Providence. These are a potential threat to all of the native fish fauna.
Museum Holdings
As above plus: ANSP 116340, 146475, 147545, 147575, 148055-148060, 148497, 150877; AMNH 31283, 36715, 53011-53013, 57448; UMMZ 213989; BMNH 1982.12.1:20. See Moller, Schwarzhans, Iliffe and Nielsen (2006) for an extensive list of additional specimens.
Key References
- Lane, H. H. (1903)
- Lane, H. H. (1908)
- Lane, H.H. (1909)
- Cohen, D.M. and Robins, C.R. (1970)
- Cohen, D.M. and Nielsen, J.G. (1978)
- Anonymous (1979)
- Vergara, R. (1980)
- Vergara, R. (1980)
- Vergara, R. (1980)
- Wourms, J.P. (1981)
- Vergara, R. (1981)
- Vergara, R. (1981)
- Nalbant, T. T. (1981)
- Warner, G. and Stroes-Gascoyne, S. (1981)
- Yager, J. (1981)
- Palmer, R.J. (1982)
- Burgess, G.H. (1983)
- Palmer, R.J. (1983)
- Farr, M. and Palmer, R.J. (1984)
- Smart, C.C. (1984)
- Proudlove, G.S. (1984)
- Palmer, R.J. and Williams, D. (1984)
- Heath, L.M. and Palmer, R.J. (1985)
- Palmer, R.J. and Heath, L.M. (1985)
- Palmer, R.J. (1985)
- Hart, C.W., Manning, R.B. and Iliffe, T.M. (1985)
- Palmer, R.J. (1985)
- Cunliffe, S. (1985)
- Palmer, R.J. (1986)
- Palmer, R.J. (1986)
- Palmer, R.J., McHale, M. and Hartlebury, R. (1986)
- Burgess, G.H. and Franz, R. (1987)
- Yager, J. and Williams, D. (1988)
- Wilkens, H., Strecker, U. and Yager, J. (1989)
- Kornicker, L.S., Yager, J. and Williams, D. (1990)
- Smith-Vaniz, W.F. and Bohlke, E.B. (1991)
- Porter, M. (1993)
- Wilson, W. L. (1994)
- Barton, M. and Wilmhoff, C. (1996)
- Yager, J. and Spokane, R.B. (1997)
- Palmer, R.J., Hutchinson, J.M.C., Schwabe, S. and Whitaker, F.F. (1998)
- Cocking, S. (1999)
- Nielsen, J.G., Cohen, D.M., Markle, D.F. and Robins, C.R. (1999)
- Koenemann, S., Iliffe, T.M. and Yager, J. (2004)
- Hernández, D.A. (2005)
- Garrido-Linares, M. and Acero, P.A. (2006)
- Moller, P.R., Schwarzhans, W., Iliffe, T.M. and Nielsen, J.G. (2006)
- Daenekas, J., Iliffe, T.M., Yager, J. and Koenemann, S. (2009)
- Garcia-Machado, E., Hernandez, D., Moller, P.R., Bernatchez, L. and Casane, D. (2011)
- Gonzalez, B.C., Iliffe, T.M., Macalady, J.L., Schaperdoth. I. and Kakuk, B. (2011)
- Gonzalez, B.C., Singpiel, A. and Schlagner, P. (2013)
- Moller, P.R., Knudsen, S.W., Schwarzhans, W. and Nielsen, J.G. (2016)
- Knudsen, S.W., Møller, P.R., Schwarzhans, W. and Nielsen, J.G. (2016)
- Gonzalez, B.C., Martínez, A., Borda, E., Iliffe, T.M., Fontaneto, D. and Worsaae, K. (2017)
- Ditter, R.E., Erdman, R.B., Goebel, A.M. and Bracken-Grissom, H.D. (2019)
- Ditter, R.E., Snyder, A.P., Schulman, S.E. and Bracken-Grissom, H.D. (2019)
- Gonzalez B.C., Martínez A., Olesen J., Truskey S.B., Ballou L., Allentoft-Larsen M., Daniels J., Heinerth P., Parrish M., Manco N., Ward J., Iliffe T.M., Osborn K.J. and Worsaae K., (2020)
- Ditter, R.E., Mejía-Ortíz, L.M. and Bracken-Grissom, H.D. (2020)
- Carpenter, J.H. (2021)
- Ballou, L., Iliffe, T.M., Kakuk, B., Gonzalez, B.C., Osborn, K.J., Worsaae, K., Meland, K., Broad, K., Bracken-Grissom, H. and Olesen, J. (2021)
| Lane, H. H. | Journal Article | 1903 | The ovarian structure of the viviparous blind fishes Lucifuga and Stygicola |
| Lane, H. H. | Journal Article | 1908 | On the ovary and ova of the Cuban cavefishes |
| Lane, H.H. | Book Section | 1909 | On the overy and ova in Lucifuga and Stygicola |
| Cohen, D.M. and Robins, C.R. | Journal Article | 1970 | A new ophidioid fish (Genus Lucifuga) from a limestone sink, New Providence Island, Bahamas |
| Cohen, D.M. and Nielsen, J.G. | Journal Article | 1978 | Guide to the identification of genera of the fish order Ophidiiformes with a tentative classification of the order |
| Anonymous | Journal Article | 1979 | Cave fish |
| Vergara, R. | Journal Article | 1980 | Principales caracteristicas de la ictiofauna dulceacuicola cubana |
| Vergara, R. | Journal Article | 1980 | Estudio fenetico de los peces ciegos del genero Lucifuga |
| Vergara, R. | Journal Article | 1980 | Estudio filogenetico del los peces ciegos del genero Lucifuga (Pisces, Ophidiidae). I Sistematica filogenetica |
| Wourms, J.P. | Journal Article | 1981 | Viviparity: The maternal-fetal relationship in fishes |
| Vergara, R. | Journal Article | 1981 | Estudio filogenetico del los peces ciegos del genero Lucifuga (Pisces, Ophidiidae). II Bibliografia filogenetica |
| Vergara, R. | Journal Article | 1981 | Estudio filogenetico del los peces ciegos del genero Lucifuga (Pisces, Ophidiidae). III Aspectos evolutivos |
| Nalbant, T. T. | Journal Article | 1981 | A study of the subterranean species of Lucifuga from Cuba, with the description of Lucifuga simile sp. n. (Pisces, Ophidiiformes, Bythitidae) |
| Warner, G. and Stroes-Gascoyne, S. | Book Section | 1981 | Ecological report |
| Yager, J. | Journal Article | 1981 | Remipedia, a new class of crustacea from a marine cave in the Bahamas |
| Palmer, R.J. | Journal Article | 1982 | Report of the 1982 British Blue Holes expedition |
| Burgess, G.H. | Book Section | 1983 | Lucifuga |
| Palmer, R.J. | Book | 1983 | Blue Holes 1983 report. International cave diving expedition to eastern Grand Bahama |
| Farr, M. and Palmer, R.J. | Journal Article | 1984 | The Blue Holes: Description and structure |
| Smart, C.C. | Journal Article | 1984 | The hydrology of the Inland Blue Holes, Andros island |
| Proudlove, G.S. | Journal Article | 1984 | Preliminary observations on the biology of inland Blue Holes,Andros Island, Bahamas |
| Palmer, R.J. and Williams, D. | Journal Article | 1984 | Cave development under Andros Island, Bahamas |
| Heath, L.M. and Palmer, R.J. | Journal Article | 1985 | Hydrological observations on the karst of eastern Grand Bahama |
| Palmer, R.J. and Heath, L.M. | Journal Article | 1985 | The effect of anchialine factors and fracture control on cave development below eastern Grand Bahama |
| Palmer, R.J. | Book | 1985 | The Blue Holes of the Bahamas |
| Hart, C.W., Manning, R.B. and Iliffe, T.M. | Journal Article | 1985 | The fauna of Atlantic marine caves: evidence of dispersal by sea floor spreading while maintaining ties to deep waters |
| Palmer, R.J. | Journal Article | 1985 | The Blue Holes of eastern Grand Bahama |
| Cunliffe, S. | Journal Article | 1985 | The flora and fauna of Sagittarius, an anchialine cave and lake in Grand Bahama |
| Palmer, R.J. | Journal Article | 1986 | Hydrology and speleogenesis beneath Andros Island |
| Palmer, R.J. | Journal Article | 1986 | The Blue Holes of South Andros, Bahamas |
| Palmer, R.J., McHale, M. and Hartlebury, R. | Journal Article | 1986 | The caves and Blue Holes of Cat Island, Bahamas |
| Burgess, G.H. and Franz, R. | Book Section | 1987 | Zoogeography of the Antillean freshwater fish fauna |
| Yager, J. and Williams, D. | Journal Article | 1988 | Predation by grey snapper on cave bats in the Bahamas |
| Wilkens, H., Strecker, U. and Yager, J. | Journal Article | 1989 | Eye reduction and phylogenetic age of ophidiiform cave fishes |
| Kornicker, L.S., Yager, J. and Williams, D. | Journal Article | 1990 | Ostracoda (Halocyprididae) from anchialine caves in the Bahamas |
| Smith-Vaniz, W.F. and Bohlke, E.B. | Journal Article | 1991 | Additions to the ichthyofauna of the Bahama Islands, with comments on endemic species |
| Porter, M. | Journal Article | 1993 | The formation and biota of inland and oceanic blue holes |
| Wilson, W. L. | Journal Article | 1994 | Morphometry and hydrology of Dean's Blue Hole, Long Island |
| Barton, M. and Wilmhoff, C. | Journal Article | 1996 | Inland fishes of the Bahamas - new distribution records for exotic and native species from New Providence |
| Yager, J. and Spokane, R.B. | Book Section | 1997 | The biodiversity and water chemistry of an anchialine cave in the Bahamas |
| Palmer, R.J., Hutchinson, J.M.C., Schwabe, S. and Whitaker, F.F. | Journal Article | 1998 | Inventory of Blue Hole sites explored or visited on South Andros Island, Bahamas |
| Cocking, S. | Journal Article | 1999 | Can Blue Holes be protected. Pollution and development are their natural enemies |
| Nielsen, J.G., Cohen, D.M., Markle, D.F. and Robins, C.R. | Journal Article | 1999 | Ophidiiform fishes of the world (Order Ophidiiformes). An annotated and illustrated catalogue of pearlfishes, cusk-eels, brotulas and other ophidiiform fishes known to date |
| Koenemann, S., Iliffe, T.M. and Yager, J. | Journal Article | 2004 | Kaloketos pilosus, a new genus and species of Remipedia (Crustacea) from the Turks and Caicos Islands |
| Hernández, D.A. | Thesis | 2005 | Relaciones evolutivas de las especies del genéro Lucifuga (Ophidiiformes: Bythitidae) en Cuba |
| Garrido-Linares, M. and Acero, P.A. | Journal Article | 2006 | Peces Ophidiiformes del Atlántico occidental tropical con especial énfasis en el mar Caribe colombiano |
| Moller, P.R., Schwarzhans, W., Iliffe, T.M. and Nielsen, J.G. | Journal Article | 2006 | Revision of the Bahamian cave-fishes of the genus Lucifuga (Ophidiiformes, Bythitidae), with description of a new species from Islands on the Little Bahama bank |
| Daenekas, J., Iliffe, T.M., Yager, J. and Koenemann, S. | Journal Article | 2009 | Speleonectes kakuki, a new species of Remipedia (Crustacea) from anchialine and sub-seafloor caves on Andros and Cat Island, Bahamas |
| Garcia-Machado, E., Hernandez, D., Moller, P.R., Bernatchez, L. and Casane, D. | Conference Paper | 2011 | Phylogenetic relationships among Cuban and Bahamian species of the blind cave-fishes genus Lucifuga: A shared lineage among two isoloated archipelagoes |
| Gonzalez, B.C., Iliffe, T.M., Macalady, J.L., Schaperdoth. I. and Kakuk, B. | Journal Article | 2011 | Microbial hotspots in anchialine blueholes: initial discoveries from the Bahamas |
| Gonzalez, B.C., Singpiel, A. and Schlagner, P. | Journal Article | 2013 | Godzillius fuchsi, a new species of Remipedia (Godzilliidae) from Abaco Island, Bahamas |
| Moller, P.R., Knudsen, S.W., Schwarzhans, W. and Nielsen, J.G. | Journal Article | 2016 | A new classification of viviparous brotulas (Bythitidae) – with family status for Dinematichthyidae – based on molecular, morphological and fossil data |
| Knudsen, S.W., Møller, P.R., Schwarzhans, W. and Nielsen, J.G. | Journal Article | 2016 | Molecular, morphological and fossil input data for inferring relationship among viviparous brotulas (Bythitidae) – Resulting in a family status change for Dinematichthyidae |
| Gonzalez, B.C., Martínez, A., Borda, E., Iliffe, T.M., Fontaneto, D. and Worsaae, K. | Journal Article | 2017 | Genetic spatial structure of an anchialine cave annelid indicates connectivity within - but not between - islands of the Great Bahama Bank |
| Ditter, R.E., Erdman, R.B., Goebel, A.M. and Bracken-Grissom, H.D. | Journal Article | 2019 | Widespread phenotypic hypervariation in the enigmatic anchialine shrimp Barbouria cubensis (Decapoda: Barbouriidae) |
| Ditter, R.E., Snyder, A.P., Schulman, S.E. and Bracken-Grissom, H.D. | Journal Article | 2019 | Notes on the behavior and first records of three enigmatic anchialine shrimps (Decapoda: Caridea: Barbouriidae, Palaemonidae) in the Bahamas |
| Gonzalez B.C., Martínez A., Olesen J., Truskey S.B., Ballou L., Allentoft-Larsen M., Daniels J., Heinerth P., Parrish M., Manco N., Ward J., Iliffe T.M., Osborn K.J. and Worsaae K., | Journal Article | 2020 | Anchialine biodiversity in the Turks and Caicos Islands: New discoveries and current faunal composition |
| Ditter, R.E., Mejía-Ortíz, L.M. and Bracken-Grissom, H.D. | Journal Article | 2020 | Anchialine adjustments: an updated phylogeny and classification for the family Barbouriidae Christoffersen 1987 (Decapoda: Caridea) |
| Carpenter, J.H. | Journal Article | 2021 | Forty-year natural history study of Bahalana geracei Carpenter, 1981, an anchialine cave-dwelling isopod (Crustacea, Isopoda, Cirolanidae) from San Salvador Island, Bahamas: reproduction, growth, longevity, and population structure |
| Ballou, L., Iliffe, T.M., Kakuk, B., Gonzalez, B.C., Osborn, K.J., Worsaae, K., Meland, K., Broad, K., Bracken-Grissom, H. and Olesen, J. | Journal Article | 2021 | Monsters in the dark: systematics and biogeography of the stygobitic genus Godzillius (Crustacea: Remipedia) from the Lucayan Archipelago |