Astyanax armandoi, a Junior Synonym of Astyanax aeneus (Teleostei: Characidae)Abstract
Astyanax armandoi Lozano-Vilano and Contreras-Balderas, 1990, a characid described as endemic to a small stream in southern Mexico, is hereby synonymized with A. aeneus (Günther, 1860), a species widespread in northern Central America. Astyanax armandoi was diagnosed by its expanded lower lip, in combination with a suite of osteological characters. The labial expansion has been shown in other Astyanax populations (in Campeche and Chiapas, Mexico) to be an ecophenotype, an adaptation to hypoxia. The osteological, meristic, and morphometric characters of A. armandoi are compatible with the remarkable intra- and interpopulational variation of A. aeneus. The type locality has been repeatedly visited in the last decade; no further specimens identifiable as A. armandoi have been found, only typical A. aeneus. This conclusion implies that A. armandoi should be taken off the Mexican list of endangered species (NOM-059-SEMARNAT-2001) and similar lists.
J.J. Schmitter-Soto, M.E. Valdez-Moreno, R. Rodiles-Hernández, and A.A. González-Díaz
Copeia Volume 2008, Issue 2, pp. 409–413