General Description
The Ozark cavefish, Amblyopsis rosae, is a sensitive indicator of habitat and water quality. Similar to a canary in an underground mine, this species can provide an early warning of deteriorating water quality that may effect other species of humans.
This small (about 2" long), pale, almost colorless, blind fish is found only in the caves of the Springfield Plateau of central North America.
Sensory organs on the head, sides and tail assist them in moving
around and locating food. their diet includes microscopic plants
(plankton), isopods, amphipods, crayfish and salamander larvae
with some evidence that they feed directly on bat guano (wastes).
Unfortunately, populations of the Ozark cavefish are declining. It is listed as "threatened" under the Endangered Species Act, the same act that protects the American Bald Eagle, and is considered "endangered" in Missouri. The Missouri Department of Conservation is coordinating efforts to recover this species in Missouri.
The best way to halt further declines in the numbers of the Ozark cavefish is to prevent habitat problems before they occur.
What can you do?
Fortunately, you can avoid problems with planning, and by following a few simple guidelines.
- Make sure your septic system is working properly.
- Dispose of chemicals and petroleum products safely.
- Properly dispose of all trash and other solid wastes.
- Control animal waste run-off or leaking sewage lagoons.
- Use good soil conservation practices.
- Maintain forested areas adjacent to cave entrances and stream corridors to encourage wildlife use and provide a natural filter to improve water quality and trap run-off.
- Limit cave access.
What is the Missouri Department of Conservation doing
to help?
Pilot studies have shown that protection of groundwater quality and recovery of the Ozark cavefish are a winning combination.
The Missouri Department of Conservation, working cooperatively with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the Missouri Department of Agriculture and other natural resource agencies, is working with landowners within the recharge areas of several caves in southwest Missouri to increase their awareness of the Ozark cavefish and its link to groundwater quality. Landowners are offered information and assistance to improve management practices on their lands to control groundwater degradation.
For More Information Contact:
Missouri Department of Conservation Fisheries District Supervisor 2630 North Mayfair Springfield, Missouri 65803 (417) 895-6880 or Missouri Department of Conservation Endangered Species Coordinator P.O. Box 180 Jefferson City, Missouri 65102 (314) 751-4115
Cave Management Practices
Do not close or seal cave entrances. Animals that use caves need unrestricted access. Organic material
such as leaves and sticks, along with wastes and dead animals,
are important sources of food for cave species. Caves are energy
poor systems: loss of the entrance cuts off access for food. Control
access to caves with fencing or gates that allow wildlife to travel
freely, but restrict human access.- Maintain a forested corridor at the cave entrance. Management guidelines for endangered wildlife suggest a minimum of 20 acres of forested area at the cave entrance. The massive root systems of trees help hold soil and assist in nutrient filtering. Surface vegetation slows surface runoff, allowing water to percolate into the soil and reduce siltation into streams, caves and sinkholes.
- Protect the watershed. The same natural process that creates caves (groundwater movement) can be the mechanism that destroys cave life. Water movement through the soil is much faster that most people realize and the filtering capacity is largely a myth. Protect water quality in the cave watershed by cautious handling of all chemicals (pesticides, petroleum products, sewage runoff) and by maintaining vegetative cover. Pollutants carried by water are a major threat to cave life.
Animals That Use Caves in the Ozarks
Invertebrates
- Blind flatworm
- Tumbling creek cavesnail
- Pseudoscorpion Cave spider
- Ozark cave amphipod
- Blind isopod
- Bristly cave crayfish
- Salem cave crayfish
- Cave millipede
- Ground beetle
- Cave cricket
- Herald moth
Fish
- Ozark cavefish
- Southern cavefish
- Spring cavefish
Amphibians
- Pickerel frog
- Cave salamander
- Dark-sided salamander
- Grotto salamander
- Slimy salamander
Birds
- Eastern phoebe
- Barn owl
- Turkey vulture
- Rough-winged swallow
Mammals
- Bobcat
- Black bear
- Mountain lion
- Ozark big-eared bat
- Gray bat
- Eastern pipistrelle
- Indiana bat
- Big brown bat
- Little brown bat
- Raccoon
- Eastern wood rat
