Nemacheilus starostini
FAMILY
Balitoridae
TAXONOMY
Noemacheilus (Troglobitis) starostini Parin, 1983, Turkmenistan. Weber (2000) gave it the name of Paracobitis starostini.
OTHER COMMON NAMES
English: Starostin's loach.
PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS
Has no externally visible eyes, no pigmentation, no scales, and no swim bladder, all convergent features among many hypogean species.
DISTRIBUTION
Several sinkholes (ca. 37°55' N, 66°23' E) of the Khrebet Kughitang (mountains), in the Chardzhou province of the Republic of Turkmenistan.
HABITAT
Found in a sinkhole about 62 ft (19 m) deep with a seasonally fluctuating water level. A large portion of the pool is exposed to light part of the time. The pool is connected to an underwater stream. Up to 40 fish can be observed at a time in the pool.
BEHAVIOR
No information is available.
FEEDING ECOLOGY AND DIET
Feeds on insect larvae and small benthic crustaceans.
REPRODUCTIVE BIOLOGY
Other than reproducing via external fertilization, nothing else is known.
CONSERVATION STATUS
Classified as Vulnerable by the IUCN because of the susceptibility of their narrow habitat to underground pollution.
SIGNIFICANCE TO HUMANS
Of scientific interest because of their adaptation to the hypogean environment.
