Astyanax (fish) - Definition and Overview

Astyanax Baird & Girard, 1854, is a genus of freshwater fish in the characin family (family Characidae) of order Characiformes. The type species is A. mexicanus, the Mexican tetra, and the Astyanax species are among the fishes known as tetras.

The blind cavefish, a form of A. mexicanus, is a famous member of this genus.

The generic name comes from Astyanax, a character in Greek mythology. Anoptichthys is an obsolete synonym for this genus.

References

• "Astyanax" (http://www.fishbase.org/Eschmeyer/GeneraSummary.cfm?ID=Astyanax). FishBase. Ed. Ranier Froese and Daniel Pauly. October 2004 version. N.p.: FishBase, 2004.
• "Astyanax" (TSN 162849) (http://www.itis.usda.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=162849). Integrated Taxonomic Information System. N.p.: Integrated Taxonomic Information System, 2004. Accessed on 17 December 2004.