Bostrychus microphthalmus explained

Bostrychus microphthalmus is a species of fish from the family Butidae. It is endemic to Maros karst in southern Sulawesi, Indonesia. It was the first documented cave-dwelling fish in Sulawesi, but since then the brotula Diancistrus typhlops has been described from nearby Muna Island,^{[1] [2]} and an additional apparently undescribed eleotrid is known from Sulawesi's Maros karst.^[3]

The specific name of B. microphthalmus refers to the small eyes of this fish.

Description

Bostrychus microphthalmus grow to 7.5cm (03inches) SL. The head is flat on top and the trunk region is elongate. It differs from other Bostrychus species by having reduced eyes covered with skin and reduced head canal development, body pigment, and head squamation.

Habitat

The species is a cave dweller that is usually found in backwaters, lying on clay bottom.

Notes and References

1. Laurent Pouyaud . Kadarusman . Renny K. Hadiaty . Jacques Slembrouck . Napoleon Lemauk . Ruby V. Kusumah . Philippe Keith . 2012 . Oxyeleotris colasi (Teleostei: Eleotridae), a new blind cave fish from Lengguru in West Papua, Indonesia . Cybium . 36 . 4 . 521–529 . 10.26028/cybium/2012-364-004 . free.
2. Jørgen G. Nielsen . Werner Schwarzhans . Renny Kurnia Hadiaty . 2009 . A blind, new species of Diancistrus (Teleostei, Bythitidae) from three caves on Muna Island, southeast of Sulawesi, Indonesia . Cybium . 33 . 3 . 241–245 . 10.26028/cybium/2009-333-007 . free.
3. Web site: Saturi, O.S. . Ikan, Kepiting dan Udang Buta Penghuni Karst Maros . Mongabay-Indonesia . 31 May 2012 . 28 April 2017.