Cavefish of Missouri

With all the water in Missouri caves, it is not unusual to think of them as being home to fish. Some surface fish, most notably catfish, and minnows (plus a few introduced trout) have found their way underground, where they blanch out (turn whiteish), grow skinny, and eventually die from lack of food, if another gullywasher does not flush them back to the surface. Some fish, like sculpin and spring cavefish, actually prefer the environment around the spring entrances to caves. They no doubt wander in and out at will, with some sculpin having been reported deep in caves with good food supplies. All of these are eyed fishes, distinctly at a disadvantage in the total darkness of a cave.

But Missouri caves are home to two species of cavefish, sometimes called blindfish. These small (usually 1.5 to 3 inch length for an adult), white, eyeless fish are totally cave adapted or troglobitic. Recent research has determined that these fish might more correctly be called "earthfish", as they do not seem to be limited to caves, but roam through the watertable in interstitial spaces. This has important implications for their protection.
See also Ozark Cavefish and Southern Cavefish