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1-3; Peters et al., 1975:110-124, fig. 1-4; Li andNei, 1977:913; Wilkens, 1977a:137-148, fig. 1-8;Wilkens, 1977b:604; Giuseffi et al., 1978:679.Astyanax mexicanus, cavernicole form: Kosswig,1973:13; Schemmel, 1973:209-219; Wilkens,1973c:55, 57-58; Durand, 1976:18; Parzefall,1976:29; Thines and Piquemal, 1978:197.Mexican eyeless characin fishes: Mitchell and Cooke,1973:147; Mitchell and Elliott, 1973:147.Astyanax mexicanus (blind cave fish): Oguri andOmura, 1973:414.Astyanax mexicanus {=Anoptichthys}: Peters andPeters, 1973a:187-201, fig. 1-5: Peters et al.,1973:428-430.Astianax: Sbordoni and Cobolli-Sbordoni, 1973b:150 (erroneous spelling).Astyanax, hypogean form: Schemmel, 1973:209­219.Astyanax complex, blind and depigmented derivativesof: Schroder, 1973:vi.Astyanax mexicanus, blind cave varieties: Sadoglu,1975:419-426, fig. 1-9.Blind tetras: Kirby et al., 1977:578-579, fig. lC.Anopthichthy's: Thines and Piquemal, 1978:197(erroneous spelling).Astyanax mexicanus or Anoptichthys. blind form of:Durand, 1979:269.Type-Iocality.-Of Anoptichthys jordani: Subterraneanstream southwest of Valles (=Cueva Chica),San Luis Potosi, Mexico; of Anoptichthys antrobius:Cueva de EI Pach(lll, Antip;uo \lorelos, Tamaulipas,Mexico; of Anoptichthys hubbsi: Cueva de Los Sabinos,Ciudad Valles, San Luis Potosi, Mexico.Distribution.-Known from caves in the Sierra deEI Abra, Tamaulipas and San Luis Potosi: the Sierrade Guatemala, Tamaulipas: and the J\licos region, SanLuis Potosi. See Fig. 85.Records.-San Luis Potosi: Sotano del Arroyo, EICuate Este, EI Cuate Oeste, Cueva Chica, Cueva de laCurva, Sotano de Japones, Sotano de Jos, Cueva delLienzo, S()tano de i\latapalma, Sistema de \lontecillos,Cueva del ()tate, S()tano de Palma Seea, Siltanode las Piedras, Cueva del Rio Snbterraneo. Sotano dela Roca, Cueva de Los Sabinos, S()tano de Soyate,Sotano del Tigre, S()tano de la Tinaja, S()tano delToro, and S()tano de Yerbaniz: Tamaulipas: Bee Cave,Sotano del Caballo Moro, Sotano Escondido, Sumiderodel .lineo, Sotano del \lolino, Cueva de EIPachon, Siltano de Vasquez, and Sotano de EI Venadito.Discussion.-Astyanax jordani has been more intensivelystudied than any other species of cavernicolein the world. Essentially every aspect of itsmorphology, behavior, and genetics has been examinedat least once. Despite this intense examinationconsiderable confusion remains about the origin ofthe species and its relationships to its parent species,Astyanax mexicanus (Filippi). The species is presentlyunder continuing study by several Europeanzoologists, including H. Wilkens, J. Parzefall, G. andN. Peters, G. Thines, and C. Schemmel. The habitats,evolution, and various aspects of morphology havebeen recently studied in considerable detail by Mitchellet al. (1977). It is hoped that their clear enunciationof the relationship of this fish to the geology andphysiobrraphy of the region in which it occurs and ofits evolution will allow others to appraise more intelligentlythe results of their own studies. Three specieswere originally described from rather isolated parts ofthe range of the species as we know it now. With thediscovery of populations in 30 caves, a far better understandingof the hydrology of this part of Mexico,and the genetic studies of Breder, Sadoglu, Wilkens,and their colleagues, there is no justification for recognizingmore than one species of eyeless characinin Mexico. Breder and his colleagues, in particular,have studied the genetics and habitat of this speciesin the type-locality of A. jordani, Cueva Chica, SanLuis Potosi. They discovered that the fish was hybridizingwith A. mexicanus to a certain extent in thecave. Furthermore, it has been demonstrated that thespecies will readily hybridize with A. mexicanus underlaboratory conditions. It is significant, however,that the continual introduction of eyed Astyanaxinto Cueva Chica has not led to an exclusively hybridpopulation even there, and, furthermore, it has beendemonstrated that the eyed fish when raised in darknessfrequently exhibit both morphological andphysiological abnormalities. Based solely on thephysical barriers presented by the cave environmentfor A. mexicanus and by the epigean environment foriI. jordani, I feel that it is justified and useful to treatthe two as distinct species. It is almost certain that A.mexicanus can never successfully compete with thecave-adapted A. jordani in the cave, nor that the blindA. jordani could hope to survive in the epigean environment.Although the two species have not divergedenough to lead to complete genetic isolation, theyhave diverged enough to prevent the significant survivalof one species in the environment of the other.Family IctaluridaePrietelLa phreatophila CarranzaAmeiuridae, ciego y depigmentado: Bolivar and Carranza,1954: 115.243