Even though it was known to live only in Mexico, researchers have found a very rare blind catfish species in a Texan underwater cave.

The fish, discovered back in May in a deep limestone cave at Amistad National Recreation Area near Del Rio, were recognized as the Mexican blindcat (scientifically known as the Prietella phreatophila).

Dean Hendrickson, an ichthyology curator at the University of Texas at Austin, is the one who identified and confirmed the small pair’s species; the marine creatures were then transported inside the San Antonio Zoo.

So how could this fish species travel from the Mexican parts of the Edwards-Trinity Aquifer to the American state? The discovery backs up a theory which believes the watery caves under the Rio Grande basin in Texas and Coahuila, the Northern Mexican state, are connected.

Even though rumors of white and blind catfishes being spotted in the area have been around since the 1960s, Hendrickson says this is the first time the species’ presence has been confirmed.

“I’ve seen more of these things than anybody, and these specimens look just the ones from Mexico,” he added. Back in 2015 was the first time, Jack Johnson, the resource manager of the Amistad National Park Service, saw the eyeless fish.

Since then, he partnered with a team of biologists to find more of the species. Growing up to 3 inches long, the endangered Mexican blindcat maintains a light pink hue and is slow-swimming. The color is given by the blood flow being visible through the translucent skin.

As it lives exclusively in groundwater and in caves, the blindcat fish does not need eyes, speed in motion, or pigmentation – not like it would do if it were a surface creature. This species is perfectly adapted to inhabit total darkness.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) is protecting the blindcat fish as its habitat is threatened. The Edwards Aquifer sustaining the life of this unique fish faces challenges from excessive pumping of groundwater and contamination.

Due to the special conditions they live in, the fish have not been made available for public viewing; the zoo will keep in a special facility that can accommodate aquifer and cave species.
Image Source: Jewish Business News