Blind Cave Eel, Ophisternon candidum (Mees 1962)

Summary:

A remarkable blind eel-like fish adapted to life in the total darkness of underground aquifers on the Cape Range Peninsula, northwest Western Australia.

Identifying features: body pinkish to whitish. eel-like, very long and slender, eyes and fins absent.

Cite this page as:

Bray, D.J. & Thompson, V.J. 2021, Ophisternon candidum in Fishes of Australia, accessed 04 Oct 2024, https://fishesofaustralia.net.au/Home/species/3203

Blind Cave Eel, Ophisternon candidum (Mees 1962)

More Info

Distribution	Endemic to an underground aquifer system beneath the coastal limestone on the Cape Range Peninsula, northwest Western Australia. These waters are brackish and are under tidal influence. The Blind Cave Eel is thought to burrow into soft sediments in wells and sinkholes within this system. The waters are often brackish as they are under tidal influence. Moore et al. (2018) showed that there are three genetically distinct populations separated by hundreds of kilometres in north Western Australia: Cape Range peninsula, Barrow Island, and Bungaroo. There is no connectivity between the populations.
Features	Vertebrae 150. Body eel-like, extremely elongate, rounded in cross-section; anus in anterior half of the body; no externally visible eyes; scales absent; fins absent except for a thin rayless membrane around tail tip. Lateral line distinct, continuing to near tail tip.
Size	To 40 cm TL
Colour	Unpigmented, white to pinkish overall.
Feeding	Feeds mostly on subterranean crustaceans, and also on terrestrial insects that fall into the wells and sinkholes.
Biology	The species has degenerate eyes, and sensory adaptations to life in total darkness.
Conservation	EPBC Act 1999 : Vulnerable IUCN Red List : Endangered
Remarks	The Blind Cave Eel is one of only two Australasian vertebrates restricted to underground water - the other is the Blind Gudgeon Milyeringa veritas. Due to the inaccessibility of the habitat little is known of the Blind Cave Eel.
Similar Species	Easily distinguished from others in the genus in lacking eyes and skin pigment.
Etymology	The specific name is from the Latin candidus (= white) in reference to the skin colour.
Species Citation	Anomatophasma candidum Mees 1962, J. R. Soc. West. Aust. 45(1): 27, figs 1–2. Type locality: Tantabiddi Well, Yardie Creek Station, Northwest Cape, Western Australia.
Author	Bray, D.J. & Thompson, V.J. 2021
Resources	Atlas of Living Australia Australian Faunal Directory Catalog of Fishes

Blind Cave Eel, Ophisternon candidum (Mees 1962)

References

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Moore, G.I. 2019. New morphological data and live photographs of the rare subterranean Blind Cave Eel Ophisternon candidum (Synbranchidae) from north-western Australia. Ichthyological Research 66: 160-165. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10228-018-0647-2

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Moore, G.I., Humphreys, W.F. & Foster, R. 2018. New populations of the rare subterranean Blind Cave Eel Ophisternon candidum (Synbranchidae) reveal recent historical connections throughout north-western Australia. Marine and Freshwater Research 69: 1517–1524. https://doi.org/10.1071/MF18006

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