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Prietella lundbergi Walsh & Gilbert 1995

Phantom Blindcat

Larry Page
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Containing group: Prietella

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.

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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.

Other Names for Prietella lundbergi Walsh & Gilbert 1995

Title Illustrations
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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

All Rights Reserved.

Citing this page:

Page, Larry. 2007. Prietella lundbergi Walsh & Gilbert 1995. 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/

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