Prietella lundbergi
Phantom Blindcat
Larry Page
Identification
The Phantom Blindcat lacks eyes and is pinkish white. The dorsal fin lacks a spine. The snout overhangs the mouth. There is a long adipose fin joined to the caudal fin but with a flap posteriorly creating a deep notch between the adipose fin and caudal fin. There are 17 caudal rays and 17 rakers on the first gill arch. The caudal fin is weakly forked. There are well developed lateral-line canals and pores on the head. To 2 1/2 in. (6.8 cm) total length.
Range & Habitat
The Phantom Blindcat lives in subterranean waters in the Río Tamesí drainage, Tamaulipas, Mexico. It is known from only two caves and presumably lives in deep underground aquifers.
Distribution of Prietella lundbergi. © Larry Page
Similar Species
The other blind catfish in Mexico, the Mexican Blindcat, P. phreatophila, has a straight-edged caudal fin, 15 caudal rays and 10-14 rakers on the first gill arch.
Title Illustrations
| Scientific Name | Prietella lundbergi |
|---|---|
| Copyright | © S. J. Walsh |
About This Page
Larry Page
Florida Museum of Natural History, Gainesville, Florida, USA
Correspondence regarding this page should be directed to Larry Page at and Griffin Sheehy at
Page copyright © 2007 Larry Page
All Rights Reserved.
- First online 23 May 2007
- Content changed 23 May 2007
Citing this page:
Page, Larry. 2007. Prietella lundbergi . Phantom Blindcat. Version 23 May 2007 (under construction). http://tolweb.org/Prietella_lundbergi/69912/2007.05.23 in The Tree of Life Web Project, http://tolweb.org/
