Troglomorphism

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Texas cave salamander

Troglomorphism is the morphological adaptation of an organism to living in the constant darkness of caves, characterised by features such as loss of pigment, reduced eyesight or blindness, and frequently with attenuated bodies and/or appendages. The terms troglobitic, stygobitic, stygofauna, troglofauna, and hypogean or hypogeic, are often used for cave-dwelling organisms. [1]

A 2012 study by a team from the National University of Singapore found that reductive changes in cave organisms evolved at the same rate as constructive changes. [2]

Troglomorphism occurs in molluscs, velvet worms, arachnids, myriapods, crustaceans, insects, fish, amphibians and reptiles. To date no mammals or birds have been found to live exclusively in caves. Pickerel frogs are classed as either trogloxenes, or possibly troglophiles.

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