The Alabama cavefish, Speoplatyrhinus poulsoni, is a critically endangered type of cavefish which lives in underground pools in Key Cave, located in northwestern Alabama, United States in the Key Cave National Wildlife Refuge. This is the only known location of the fish, and was discovered underneath a colony of Gray Bats in 1974 by Cooper and Kuehne.
The Alabama cavefish is one of the rarest troglobitic fish species in North America. When this species was discovered in 1970, it was so unusual that a new genus was created for its description. The species is restricted to Key Cave in Lauderdale County, Alabama with only nine specimens having been collected. Because the underground water system in the area is so widespread, it was hoped that the cavefish had dispersed to other sites. However, studies of 120 other caves in the area, conducted since 1977, have failed to locate any other cavefish populations. The number of individuals in the Key Cave population is estimated to be less than 100. In 1988 the Alabama cavefish was reclassified from "threatened" to "endangered". There are two unconfirmed reports that these fish have also been seen in nearby Collier Cave. Both caves are protected and inaccessible to the public.
Its longevity ranges from 5 to 10 years, but it reproduces slower than all other cave dwellers. Because its known range is limited to a single cave, the Alabama cavefish has an uncertain future, being threatened by changes in groundwater quality and level, changes in aquifer characteristics, diminished organic input.
