EPA's Vulnerable Species-Ozark Cavefish

Due to the threats of habitat destruction, specimen harvesting, and low reproduction, the Ozark cavefish (Amblyopsis rosae) is protected by the Endangered Species Act (ESA). It is a small (2 inches long) light pink freshwater fish that is blind. Because of the low population growth of this species even in ideal conditions, it is crucial to protect the quality of their remaining limited freshwater habitat.

This species is found in nutrient-rich cave streams and springs throughout the Springfield Plateau of the Ozark Highlands in Arkansas, Missouri, and Oklahoma. The nutrients come from leaves, roots, and bat droppings. A total of 15 caves in the Ozark Highlands have populations. If Ozark cavefish are present, then the groundwater is clean and suitable for drinking water and irrigation.

The Ozark cavefish is struggling to reproduce even when cave water habitat is untouched by outside chemicals, so pesticides that contaminate the groundwater or reach the cave may cause additional problems. A reduction in the Ozark cavefish population size would harm ecosystems throughout the Ozark Highlands due to water quality decline. The feeding activity of this species keeps the cave ecosystem balanced and healthy, which in turn helps the water quality remain high and drinkable.

A number of other species ranges overlap with the range of the Ozark cavefish. Potential pesticide mitigations for the Ozark cavefish will directly benefit many aquatic species, and there may also be indirect benefits for terrestrial species that interact with aquatic species or habitats. Additionally, on the Ozark plateau there are other threatened and endangered cave species that could benefit from protections for the Ozark cavefish. These species include:

• Alligator snapping turtle (Macrochelys temminckii)
• Gray bat (Myotis grisescens)
• Indiana bat (Myotis sodalis)
• Neosho madtom (Noturus placidus)
• Northern Long-eared bat (Myotis septentrionalis)
• Ozark big-eared bat (Corynorhinus townsendii ingens)
• Piping Plover (Charadrius melodus)
• Rufa Red Knot (Calidris canutus rufa)
• Tricolored bat (Perimyotis subflavus)
• American burying beetle (Nicrophorus americanus)
• Mead's Milkweed (Asclepias meadii)
• Benton County cave crayfish (Cambarus aculabrum)
• Missouri Bladderpod (Physaria filiformis)
• Neosho Mucket (Lampsilis rafinesqueana)
• Rabbitsfoot (Quadrula cylindrica cylindrica)

The FWS species profile page on the Environmental Conservation Online System contains a lot of useful information about the Ozark cavefish, like where the species is located, the recovery plans for the species, and 5-year status reviews.

 Species Profile for the Ozark cavefish