Anableps microlepis Müller & Troschel, 1844
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 finescaled four-eyed fish (Anableps microlepis) is a species of four-eyed fish found in coastal waters of the Atlantic Ocean from Trinidad and Tobago down to southeastern Brazil. They mostly inhabit brackish environments such as estuaries, mangrove swamps, and tidal mudflats. It grows to approximately 30 cm (12 in) in length.
This fish mostly feeds on organic matter and small invertebrates. In Manzanilla, this fish was found to feed on sand crabs (Emerita portoricensis) and small bivalves (Donax denticulatus). While looking for food, they travel up and down the coastline in large groups ranging from a dozen to more than a hundred fish.
Like other members of Anableps, this species has eyes that are split into two lobes, allowing it to see above and below water at the same time. They can be distinguished from the sympatric Anableps anableps by having smaller and more numerous scales (76-83 compared to the less than 64 of A. anableps). They also have a left or right-leaning gonopodium like other Anablepidae members and give live birth.
Wikipedia contributors, Anableps microlepis; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T19:00:01.677520+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Anableps microlepis Müller & Troschel, 1844
- Name authority
- Müller & Troschel, 1844
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Teleostei
- Order
- Cyprinodontiformes
- Family
- Anablepidae
- Genus
- Anableps
- 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
- orderCyprinodontiformes
- familyAnablepidae Bonaparte, 1831
- subfamilyAnablepinae Bonaparte, 1831
- genusAnableps Scopoli, 1777
- speciesAnableps microlepis Müller & Troschel, 1844
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Anableps. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Anableps anableps (Linnaeus, 1758) | AnablepidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Anableps dowii Gill, 1861 | AnablepidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
Names & synonyms
Names explicitly linked to this accepted taxon in the source. Synonymy can change with revision.
| Recorded name | Source status |
|---|---|
| Anableps elongatus Valenciennes, 1846 Valenciennes, 1846 | synonym |
| Anableps coarctatus Valenciennes, 1846 Valenciennes, 1846 | synonym |
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.
- Müller, J., & Troschel, F. H. (1844). Einige Bemerkungen über die ... Familie der Cyprinodonten ... Bericht Über Die Zur Bekanntmachung Geeigneten Verhandlungen Der Königlichen Preussischen Akademie Der Wissenschaften Zu Berlin, 1844: 35–36. 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:66GGR. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.