Yucatan Tetra
Astyanax altior Hubbs, 1936
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.
Yucatan Tetra, Astyanax altior Hubbs, 1936, Natural History Museum University of Pisa
Mattia Nocciola · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Image sourceProvider-generated thumbnail requested at 800 pixels; no local editing Local WebP display rendition; resized without cropping.
Open encyclopedia reference
Astyanax altior, the Yucatán tetra, is a species of freshwater ray-finned fish belonging to the family Acestrorhamphidae, the American characins. This fish is endemic to the Yucatán Peninsula of Mexico. It largely inhabits the cenotes (water-filled sinkholes) of the region, and can tolerate water of limited salinity, though it largely prefers freshwater. Its diet includes plant matter and invertebrates, and there may be an element of cannibalism involved.
It bears a genetic and morphological resemblance to congener Astyanax aeneus, with which it was once considered synonymous; however, more recent ecobiological assessment has determined that the two are separate.
Wikipedia contributors, Astyanax altior; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T03:34:58.297649+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Astyanax altior Hubbs, 1936
- Name authority
- Hubbs, 1936
- Common name
- Yucatan Tetra
- 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 altior Hubbs, 1936
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 |
|---|---|
| Astyanax fasciatus altior Hubbs, 1936 Hubbs, 1936 | 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.
- Hubbs, C. L. (1936). Fishes of the Yucatan Peninsula. Carnegie Institution of Washington Publications, 457 (17): 157–287, Pls. 1–15. 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.
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:J5PY. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.