"Blind cave fish" redirects here. For cavefish in general, see cavefish.
Mexican tetra
Normal form (above) and blind cave form (below)
Conservation status
Least Concern (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Vulnerable (IUCN 2.3)[2] Cave form
Scientific classification
Domain:
Eukaryota
Kingdom:
Animalia
Phylum:
Chordata
Class:
Actinopterygii
Order:
Characiformes
Family:
Characidae
Genus:
Astyanax
Species:
A. mexicanus
Binomial name
Astyanax mexicanus
(De Filippi, 1853)
Approximate range
Synonyms[3]
Tetragonopterus mexicanus De Filippi, 1853
Astyanax fasciatus mexicanus (De Filippi, 1853)
Tetragonopterus fulgens Bocourt, 1868
Tetragonopterus nitidus Bocourt, 1868
Tetragonopterus streetsii Cope, 1872
The Mexican tetra (Astyanax mexicanus), also known as the blind cave fish, blind cave characin, and blind cave tetra, is a freshwater fish of the family Characidae of the order Characiformes.[4][5] The type species of its genus, it is native to the Nearctic realm, originating in the lower Rio Grande and the Neueces and Pecos Rivers in Texas, as well as the central and eastern parts of Mexico.[4][6][7]
Growing to a maximum total length of 12 cm (4.7 in), the Mexican tetra is of typical characin shape, with silvery, unremarkable scalation.[4] Its blind cave form, however, is notable for having no eyes or pigment; it has a pinkish-white color to its body (resembling an albino).[8]
This fish, especially the blind variant, is reasonably popular among aquarists.[9]
A. mexicanus is a peaceful species that spends most of its time in midlevel water above the rocky and sandy bottoms of pools and backwaters of creeks and rivers of its native environment. Coming from a subtropical climate, it prefers water with 6.5–8 pH, a hardness of up to 30 dGH, and a temperature range of 20 to 25 °C (68 to 77 °F). In the winter, some populations migrate to warmer waters. Its natural diet consists of crustaceans, insects, and annelids, although in captivity it is omnivorous.[4][9]
The Mexican tetra has been treated as a subspecies of A. fasciatus, but this is not widely accepted.[4] Additionally, the hypogean blind cave form is sometimes recognized as a separate species, A. jordani, but this directly contradicts phylogenetic evidence.[8][10][11][12][13][14]
^NatureServe (2013). "Astyanax mexicanus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2013: e.T62191A3109229. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2013-1.RLTS.T62191A3109229.en.
^Contreras-Balderas, S. & Almada-Villela, P. (1996). "Astyanax mexicanus ssp. jordani". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 1996: e.T2270A9379535. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.1996.RLTS.T2270A9379535.en. Retrieved 2 July 2023.
^Froese, R.; Reyes, R. D. (2023-04-21). Froese, R.; Pauly, D. (eds.). "Synonyms of Astyanax mexicanus (De Filippi, 1853)". FishBase. Retrieved 2023-04-21.
^ abcdeFroese, Rainer; Pauly, Daniel (eds.) (2015). "Astyanax mexicanus" in FishBase. October 2015 version.
^"Astyanax mexicanus". Integrated Taxonomic Information System. Retrieved 1 July 2006.
^Borowsky, Richard (2018-01-22). "Cavefishes". Current Biology. 28 (2): R60–R64. doi:10.1016/j.cub.2017.12.011. ISSN 1879-0445. PMID 29374443. S2CID 235332375.
^ abKeene, A.; Yoshizawa, M.; McGaugh, S. (2016). Biology and Evolution of the Mexican Cavefish. Elsevier Science. pp. 68–69, 77–87. ISBN 978-0-12-802148-4.
^ ab"Astyanax mexicanus". Seriously Fish. Retrieved 2 May 2017.
^Jeffery, W. (2009). "Regressive evolution in Astyanax cavefish". Annual Review of Genetics. 43: 25–47. doi:10.1146/annurev-genet-102108-134216. PMC 3594788. PMID 19640230.
^Bradic, M.; Beerli, P.; Garcia-de Leon, F. J.; Esquivel-Bobadilla, S.; Borowsky, R. L. (2012). "Gene flow and population structure in the Mexican blind cavefish complex (Astyanax mexicanus)". BMC Evolutionary Biology. 12: 9. doi:10.1186/1471-2148-12-9. PMC 3282648. PMID 22269119.
^Dowling, T. E.; Martasian, D. P.; Jeffery, W. R. (2002). "Evidence for multiple genetic forms with similar eyeless phenotypes in the blind cavefish, Astyanax mexicanus". Molecular Biology and Evolution. 19 (4). Oxford University Press (OUP) (Society for Molecular Biology and Evolution (smbe)): 446–455. doi:10.1093/oxfordjournals.molbev.a004100. PMID 11919286.
^Strecker, U.; Faúndez, V. H.; Wilkens, H. (2004). "Phylogeography of surface and cave Astyanax (Teleostei) from Central and North America based on cytochrome b sequence data". Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 33 (2). Academic Press: 469–481. doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2004.07.001. PMID 15336680.
The Mexicantetra (Astyanax mexicanus), also known as the blind cave fish, blind cave characin, and blind cave tetra, is a freshwater fish of the family...
Look up tetra in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. Tetra is the common name of many small freshwater characiform fishes. Tetras come from Africa, Central...
Cave tetra may refer to different species of fish: Astyanax jordani Mexicantetra (Astyanax mexicanus') This disambiguation page lists articles associated...
ciega. A blind cave fish, A. jordani is very closely related to the Mexicantetra (A. mexicanus) and their taxonomy is disputed. Some treat the two as...
unusual adaptations known as troglomorphism. In some species, notably the Mexicantetra, shortfin molly, Oman garra, Indoreonectes evezardi, and a few catfish...
Tetra Pak is a Swedish multinational food packaging and processing company headquartered in Switzerland. The company offers packaging, filling machines...
Complete Guide to Black Skirt Tetra Care". Fishkeeping World. 2020-12-17. Retrieved 2022-07-21. "Bleeding Heart Tetra 101: The Complete Care Guide"....
Americas from Mexico to Argentina. It grows up to 17.1 cm (6.7 in) in length. Formerly thought to be closely related to the Mexicantetra, it is now in...
Terrestrial Trunked Radio (TETRA; formerly known as Trans-European Trunked Radio), a European standard for a trunked radio system, is a professional mobile...
regarding its status as a species, as it was considered a synonym of the Mexicantetra (A. mexicanus) for 20 years, but it has recently come back into favor...
troglomorphic species can be highly variable. While some species like the Mexicantetra trend towards eyelessness, there are still many that maintain their...
which may be involved in human genetic disorders. For example, the Mexicantetra is an albino cavefish that lost its eyesight during evolution. Breeding...
which may be involved in human genetic disorders. For example, the Mexicantetra is an albino cavefish that lost its eyesight during evolution. Breeding...
threespine stickleback, banded killifish, the surfperch Embiotoca jacksoni, Mexicantetra, and various minnows. A study with the White Cloud Mountain minnow has...
found in frogs such as those in the genus Xenopus, fish such as the Mexicantetra, and crustaceans. Bush, Albert O.; Fernández, Jacqueline C.; Esch, Gerald...
short-lifespan in research on aging, disease and evolution. Astyanax mexicanus (Mexicantetra or blind cave fish), studied for their rapid convergent evolution of...
Blind tetra is a common name for several cave dwelling fishes and may refer to: Astyanax mexicanus, native to Texas and Mexico Stygichthys typhlops, native...
(IDLH). National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH). "Tetra-Ethyl Lead as an Addition to Petrol". British Medical Journal. 1 (3504):...
Freshwater Elephant Fish have been observed to have their own language MexicanTetra have been observed communicating with a series of clicks, and have also...
Gerais, Brazil. Like other cave-adapted fish (e.g. the cave form of the Mexicantetra), the Brazilian blind characid is blind and lacks pigmentation. It reaches...
Blackfish Black neon tetra Blacktip reef shark Black mackerel Black scalyfin Black sea bass Black scabbardfish Black swallower Black tetra Black triggerfish...
the Rio Frio (in the Rio Guayalejo drainage). Some populations of the Mexicantetra (Astyanax mexicanus [= A. jordani]) also inhabit caves and are blind...
Global Information
