Grotto sculpin

The grotto sculpin (Cottus specus) is a species of fish in the family Cottidae.[2] It is found in the United States where it only inhabits the Bois Brule drainage (although not recorded from the main stream itself) in Perry County of southeastern Missouri.[3] It reaches a maximum standard length of 10.3 cm (4.1 in).[2] This cavefish lives in underground streams and their resurgences.[2] It was formerly confused with the more widespread C. carolinae, but can be separated by (among others) its smaller eyes and various degrees of reduced pigmentation.[2][3] It is one of only three known cases of troglomorphism in the sculpin family, the others also involving U.S. Cottus (C. bairdi—cognatus species complex in Pennsylvania, and C. carolinae in West Virginia).[3]

Grotto sculpin
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Scorpaeniformes
Family: Cottidae
Genus: Cottus
Species:
C. specus
Binomial name
Cottus specus
G. L. Adams & Burr, 2013

References
  1. "Grotto Sculpin (Cottus specus)". U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. 21 September 2016. Retrieved 30 April 2017.
  2. Froese, Rainer and Pauly, Daniel, eds. (2014). "Cottus specus" in FishBase. February 2014 version.
  3. Adams, G.L.; B.M. Burr; J.L. Day; and D.E. Starkey (2013). "Cottus specus, a new troglomorphic species of sculpin (Cottidae) from southeastern Missouri" (PDF). Zootaxa. 3609 (5): 484–494. doi:10.11646/zootaxa.3609.5.4. PMID 24699612.CS1 maint: uses authors parameter (link)
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