
The fish was discovered in 1967 by biologist John E. Cooper while on a collecting trip with his wife. During subsequent trips to Key Cave, he recovered eight more specimens, and in 1974 published his findings, with fellow researcher Robert A. Kuehne, in "Speoplatyrhinus poulsoni, a New Genus and Species of Subterranean Fish from Alabama." Since that time, scientists have observed fewer than 10 specimens of the fish in the cave's pools.

The Alabama cavefish lacks eyes and practically all pigment, making it appear pinkish white with a slight bluish tint, and it has completely translucent fins. Adults average 1.2 to 2.5 inches (30-60 mm) in length. It is the only species in its genus (Speoplatyrhinus) and can be distinguished from other cavefish by its elongated flattened head, the lack of rays (spines) in its fins, and the incisions that give its fins a spiky appearance.

The life cycle of the cavefish remains poorly understood. Scientists have speculated that it has the slowest reproductive rate of any cave-dwelling aquatic species, and its longevity is predicted to be between five and ten years. It has a large mouth cavity and likely reproduces like the northern cavefish, which incubates its young inside its mouth, but this behavior has yet to be observed. Because the Alabama cavefish's reproductive cycle appears to be based on various environmental triggers, it is possible that it does not reproduce every year. Its reproductive cycle may be triggered by seasonal flooding in the cave, which causes hormonal changes in the species.
There are likely fewer than 100 Alabama cavefish in existence. Because its known range is limited to a single cave, the Alabama cavefish has an uncertain future. It is threatened by changes in groundwater quality and level and most notably threats to the gray bat population from white-nose syndrome, a newly emergent fungal disease that is devastating bat populations all over North America. In 1988, the Alabama cavefish was reclassified from threatened to "endangered" by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Additional Resources
Mettee, Maurice F., and Patrick E. O'Neil. Fishes of Alabama and the Mobile Basin. Birmingham, Ala.: Oxmoor House, 1996.
Additional Resources
Mettee, Maurice F., and Patrick E. O'Neil. Fishes of Alabama and the Mobile Basin. Birmingham, Ala.: Oxmoor House, 1996.
Cooper, John E., and Robert A. Kuehne. " Speoplatyrhinus poulsoni, a New Genus and Species of Subterranean Fish from Alabama." Copeia 1974 (June 1974): 486-93.
Cooper, John E., and Robert A. Kuehne. " Speoplatyrhinus poulsoni, a New Genus and Species of Subterranean Fish from Alabama." Copeia 1974 (June 1974): 486-93.