Oxyeleotris caeca Allen, 1996
Accepted species in Catalogue of Life’s 11 September 2026 base release. This preserves the source classification and available supporting data; it is not a completed species monograph.
Open encyclopedia reference
Oxyeleotris caeca or the Kikori blind gudgeon is a cavefish found in the upper Kikori River system. Described in 1996, it is the first cavefish found in Papua New Guinea. There are three specimens kept at the Western Australian Museum, whose lengths range from 83 to 93 millimetres (3.3 to 3.7 in). Its adaptations to cave life include a loss of pigmentation and external eyes. It is unknown how extensive its cave system is. The species is likely closely related to the widespread fimbriate gudgeon. While living in caves, the fish is found in surface waters during the wet season, and is eaten by local inhabitants.
Wikipedia contributors, Oxyeleotris caeca; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T23:28:19.392609+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Oxyeleotris caeca Allen, 1996
- Name authority
- Allen, 1996
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Teleostei
- Order
- Gobiiformes
- Family
- Butidae
- Genus
- Oxyeleotris
- Extinction status
- Not supplied by this source
Source habitat flags: Marine: no · Freshwater: yes · Terrestrial: no. These do not form a complete habitat description.
Classification family tree
Nested taxonomic groups from the source. This is not a direct-ancestor chain, a dated evolutionary tree or a phylogenetic reconstruction.
- domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- subphylumVertebrata
- infraphylumGnathostomata
- parvphylumOsteichthyes
- gigaclassActinopterygii
- superclassActinopteri
- classTeleostei
- orderGobiiformes
- familyButidae Bleeker, 1874
- genusOxyeleotris Bleeker, 1874
- speciesOxyeleotris caeca Allen, 1996
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Oxyeleotris. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Oxyeleotris marmorata (Bleeker, 1852) | ButidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Oxyeleotris siamensis (Günther, 1861) | ButidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Oxyeleotris herwerdenii (Weber, 1910) | ButidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Oxyeleotris stagnicola Allen, Hortle & Renyaan, 2000 | ButidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Aru gudgeonOxyeleotris aruensis (Weber, 1911) | ButidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Oxyeleotris paucipora Roberts, 1978 | ButidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Oxyeleotris urophthalmoides (Bleeker, 1853) | ButidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Oxyeleotris mertoni (Weber, 1911) | ButidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
Source literature & publication evidence
References attached to this source record, including nomenclatural citations where supplied. This is a selected bibliography; abbreviated citations remain in the source’s form.
- Allen, G. R. (1996). Oxyeleotris caeca, a new species of blind cave fish (Eleotridae) from Papua New Guinea. Revue Française d’Aquariologie Herpétologie, 23 (1/2): 43–46. Source fields: Taxon.tsv dwc:namePublishedIn, Taxon.tsv dcterms:references
Origins, evidence & remaining research
Name authority and publication references document nomenclature where the source supplies it. They do not establish evolutionary origins or the earliest fossil occurrence.
Specimen-level evidence, morphology, ecological research, phylogenetic studies, a comprehensive bibliography and a located literary passage have not yet been compiled for this record. A suitable sourced image remains to be added.
Dataset citation & attribution
This exact taxon in ChecklistBank · Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11
Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11; dataset 316321; doi:10.48580/dgz5n. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . Retrieved 5 October 2026.
Stable key: col:75FK3. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.