Trichomycterus rosablanca

This species is distinguished by the advanced condition in the typical troglomorphisms found in other congeneric cave-dwelling species, such as the absence of eyes and pigmentation. It is distinguished by the following putative autapomorphies: presence of a circular foramen in the main body of the interopercle, dorsal to the interopercular plate supporting the odontodes; presence of a single sensory pore in the posteriormost section of the infraorbital canal; differs from its congeners known from Colombia by having the supraorbital canal interrupted in the nasal section, resulting in the pattern of s1, s2, s3, and s6 sensory pores, and the lachrimal/antorbital bone not enclosing the anteriormost section of the infraorbital canal (Ref. 119411).

Vertebrae: 37

This species is found exclusively from a stream tributary of the Horta River, draining the caves Las Sardinas and Caracol, in the upper Carare River drainage, corresponding to the middle Magdalena River basin. Thse caves are found between 2228 m and 2378 m of elevation. The subterranean stream draining the caves have clear waters, the becoming turbid during the rains by heavy loads of clayey sediments. During collection, the physicochemical parameters measured were the following: temperature 14.6°C; pH 7.9 in Las Sardinas Cave and 8.1 in Caracol Cave; total dissolved solids 132 ppm in both caves, and conductivity 231 µ/cm in Las Sardinas Cave and 242 µ/cm in Caracol Cave. This species was collected in a 20 m section of the stream that drains into a sink hole inside the wide opening gallery of Caracol Cave while Las Sardinas Cave has two openings that are interconnected by a superficial stream flowing for around 200 m from the northern opening and inflowing the second southern opening. Specimens were collected at 230 m (dark section) inside the northern opening and in the epigean section of the interconnecting stream (Ref. 119411).

Specimens of this species were collected at 230 m (dark section) inside the northern opening and in the epigean section of the interconnecting stream, while collecting efforts both in the epigean and hypogean systems failed to capture any other fish species in the region (Ref. 119411).