Astyanax mexicanus (De Filippi, 1853)
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 Mexican tetra (Astyanax mexicanus), also known as the blind cave fish, blind cave characin or the blind cave tetra, is a species of freshwater ray-finned fish belonging to the family Acestrorhamphidae, the American characins. This fish is found in the lower Rio Grande, and the Nueces and Pecos Rivers in Texas, into the Central Plateau and eastern states of Mexico. Maturing at a total length of about 12 cm (4.7 in), the Mexican tetra is of typical characin form, albeit with silvery, unremarkable scalation, likely an evolutionary adaptation to its natural environment. By comparison, the species' blind "cave" form has scales which evolved a depigmented, pinkish-white color, somewhat resembling an albino, as it inhabits pitch-black caverns and subterranean streams and has no need for a colorful appearance (i.e. for attracting mates, camouflage, UV protection). Likewise, the blind cave tetra has fully lost functionality of its eyes as a result of inhabiting an environment completely devoid of natural light, with only empty sockets covered with skin in their place.
Wikipedia contributors, Mexican tetra; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T19:05:41.627604+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Astyanax mexicanus (De Filippi, 1853)
- Name authority
- (De Filippi, 1853)
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Teleostei
- Order
- Characiformes
- Family
- Acestrorhamphidae
- Genus
- Astyanax
- 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
- orderCharaciformes
- suborderCharacoidei
- familyAcestrorhamphidae Eigenmann, 1907
- subfamilyAcestrorhamphinae Eigenmann, 1907
- genusAstyanax Baird & Girard, 1854
- speciesAstyanax mexicanus (De Filippi, 1853)
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Astyanax. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Astyanax robustus Meek, 1912 | AcestrorhamphidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Astyanax pirabitira Lucena, Bertaco & Berbigier, 2013 | AcestrorhamphidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Astyanax superbus Myers, 1942 | AcestrorhamphidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Astyanax bagual Bertaco & Vigo, 2015 | AcestrorhamphidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Astyanax ruberrimus Eigenmann, 1913 | AcestrorhamphidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Astyanax trierythropterus Godoy, 1970 | AcestrorhamphidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Astyanax henseli de Melo & Buckup, 2006 | AcestrorhamphidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Astyanax procerus Lucena, Castro & Bertaco, 2013 | AcestrorhamphidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Astyanax poetzschkei Ahl, 1932 | AcestrorhamphidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Astyanax saltor Travassos, 1960 | AcestrorhamphidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Astyanax acatlanensis Schmitter-Soto, 2017 | AcestrorhamphidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Astyanax bacalarensis Schmitter-Soto, 2017 | AcestrorhamphidaeChordata | 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 |
|---|---|
| Tetragonopterus fulgens Bocourt, 1868 Bocourt, 1868 | synonym |
| Tetragonopterus streetsii Cope, 1872 Cope, 1872 | synonym |
| Tetragonopterus mexicanus De Filippi, 1853 De Filippi, 1853 | synonym |
| Tetragonopterus nitidus Bocourt, 1868 Bocourt, 1868 | synonym |
| Astyanax fasciatus mexicanus (De Filippi, 1853) (De Filippi, 1853) | synonym |
| Astianax mexicanus (De Filippi, 1853) (De Filippi, 1853) | synonym |
| Astyanax argentatus Baird & Girard, 1854 Baird & Girard, 1854 | 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.
- https://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=1021604 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:687DP. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.