Demogorgonichthys arcanus Hart, Niemiller, Sandel & Armbruster, 2026
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
The demon cavefish (Demogorgonichthys arcanus) is a species of blind cavefish in the family Amblyopsidae. It is the only known species in the genus Demogorgonichthys and is known only from Bobcat Cave and its associated aquifer at Redstone Arsenal in northern Alabama, United States. The genus and species were formally described in 2026.
The species inhabits the same cave pools as the southern cavefish (Typhlichthys subterraneus), although genetic analyses indicate that the two species are not closely related. Their similar cave-adapted features therefore represent an example of convergent evolution.
Wikipedia contributors, Demon cavefish; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T19:30:03.473073+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Demogorgonichthys arcanus Hart, Niemiller, Sandel & Armbruster, 2026
- Name authority
- Hart, Niemiller, Sandel & Armbruster, 2026
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Teleostei
- Order
- Percopsiformes
- Family
- Amblyopsidae
- Genus
- Demogorgonichthys
- 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
- orderPercopsiformes
- familyAmblyopsidae Bonaparte, 1845
- genusDemogorgonichthys Hart, Niemiller, Sandel & Armbruster, 2026
- speciesDemogorgonichthys arcanus Hart, Niemiller, Sandel & Armbruster, 2026
Close classified relatives
No other member of this genus is present in the selected snapshot.
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.
- https://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=1905028 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:VR3QW. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.