摘要
世界上最令人感兴趣的事物之一,是外星究竟有没有生物存在?如果有的话,又是什么模样?迄今仍有许多人还在孜孜不倦地追寻着神秘的外星生物。有趣的是不少国内外同行在参观我们收藏的洞穴鱼类标本后,不约而同地戏称:“这是来自另一个星球上的鱼类”。的确,它从形到色,与地表鱼类是截然不同的,我们对黑暗的洞穴实在太陌生了,直至近20年来。
Cave fish, one of the most unique kinds of fish on earth, are divided into three categories based on their biological features and living environments: The first kind of cave fish always live in caves, their eyes deteriorated and their surface color faded. The second kind are semi-cave fish, which live in caves only periodically. Finally, the third kind enter caves occasionally, but don't have the features of cave fish.The cave fish described in this article are of the first category.Reports of the eyeless salamander, found in Slovania in 1768, provided the earliest record of cave vertebrate in the world. Cave fish began to be reported in 1842, when blind killifish were found in the United States. Following that, cave fish werefound successively in Cuba,Brazil, and Africa.There are many kinds of cave fish in China, but they were found quite some time later. On April 23,1976, a 34-mm semi-transparent fish was found in the water 100 meters under the ground in Jianshui County, Yunan Province. It was the first report of cave fish in China. Following that, cave fish were found in Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region and in the Hunan and Guizhou provinces. To date, China has recorded 21 kinds of cave fish--nine in Guangxi, seven in Yunnan, four in Guizhou and one in Hunan, making up one-third of the total in kinds in the world.Cave fish are considered precious because they are small in quantity and rare in shape. They have not only academic value but also bring fame to scenic spots. For example, material about the blind plateau loach found in Shilin (stone forest), Yunnan Province, became part of the application for the title of World Nature Legacy for the City. UNESCO officials spoke highly of this, saying that it was the first case of its kind in the more than 300 registered world nature legacies.However, facts have proven that cave fish are very sensitive and weak to changes in the environment. Once caves are changed, cave fish will be endangered because they are slow in adapting themselves. So, protection measures should be taken during tourist development.
出处
《人与生物圈》
2000年第2期38-41,共4页
Man and the Biosphere
