Caecieleotris morrisi Walsh &amp; Chakrabarty, 2016, new species
Creators: name: Walsh, Stephen J.
name: Prosanta Chakrabarty
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2016
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Chordata
Actinopterygii
Perciformes
Milyeringidae
Caecieleotris
Caecieleotris morrisi

description: <i>Caecieleotris morrisi,</i> new species urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act: 193 B 8 DF 5-31 BD- 4 BE 6 -AAD 5- 34 A 6 DF 872681 Oaxaca Cave Sleeper, Guavina Cueva de Oaxaca Figures 1, 2, 3; Table 2 <i>Holotype.—</i> CNPE-IBUNAM 19073 (ex. UF 101173), 34.1 mm SL, Mexico, Oaxaca State, submerged cave at the bottom of Presa Miguel Alema'n reservoir, approximately 18811 " 22.58 "" N, 96836 " 56.02 "" W, 16 April 1995, T. L. Morris. <i>Paratypes.—</i> LSUMZ 17726 (ex UF 101173), 1, 28.0 mm SL; UF 101173, 9, 11.6–31.6 mm SL (1 CS, 28.2 mm SL); UMMZ 231174, 2, 19.3–29.9 mm SL. Same locality and date as the holotype. <i>Diagnosis.—</i> Species diagnosis is that of the monotypic genus, with character states of <i>Caecieleotris</i> as stated above. <i>Description.—</i> Selected proportional measurements presented in Table 2. A diminutive, anophthalmic, unpigmented eleotrid. Size range of type specimens 11.6–34.1 mm SL. Body slender, relatively elongate, laterally compressed, body depth at pelvic-fin origin 14.2–18.6 % SL (Fig. 1 A). Body width at pectoral-fin origin 11.6–17.4 % SL. Head broad and moderately depressed, shovel-shaped, head width 54.1– 68.2 % HL. Snout prominently upturned. Dorsal profile of head straight to weakly concave. Ventral profile of head weakly convex. Dorsal and ventral profiles of body posterior to pectoral fins gradually tapered, nearly symmetrical except for position of median fins, body depth only slightly reduced from pectoral-fin insertion to anal-fin origin. Caudal peduncle relatively shallow (depth 7.4–8.4 % SL) and narrow (width 2.9–5.4 % SL). Deep fleshy groove on ventral side of body from pectoral-fin insertion to anal-fin origin, with a keel-like midventral flap of skin, possibly representing artifact of shrinkage following preservation or presence of little or no food in the gut of individuals when preserved. Meristic characters exclude data for the two smallest, presumably juvenile, paratypes (UF 101173; 11.6–11.9 mm SL) and include only partial data for two other paratypes (UMMZ 231174). Values for holotype indicated by asterisk, number of specimens parenthetically as follows. First dorsalfin elements modally VI: V (5), VI* (6); spines thin, flexible. Second dorsal-fin elements modally I, 7: I, 7 * (6), I, 8 (5). Analfin ray elements modally I, 8: I, 6 (1), I, 7 (2), I, 8 * (6), I, 9 (1), I, 10 (1). Pelvic-fin elements I, 5 * (11). Spines in second dorsal, anal, and pelvic fins feeble, thin, flexible. Pectoral-fin rays modally 14: 13 (4), 14 (6), 15 * (1). Upper principal (segmented) caudal-fin rays modally 6: 5 (1), 6 * (7), 7 (3). Lower principal caudal-fin rays modally 6: 5 * (4), 6 (5), 7 (2). Upper procurrent caudal-fin rays modally 8: 5 (1), 6 (3), 7 (2), 8 * (5). Branchiostegals modally 6: 4 (1), 5 (1), 6 * (9). Scales in lateral series modally 27: 25 (2), 26 (1), 27 (3), 28 * (1), 31 (2), 32 (1). Scales on body cycloid, large (5–6 transverse scales on midside of body), imbricate, thin, tightly appressed to body. Circumferential caudal peduncle scales modally 10: 10 * (6), Fig. 1. 11 (4). Total vertebrae modally 24: 24 * (6), 25 (3). Rib pairs modally 6: 6 (4), 8 * (2). Head large, its length 29.2–42.5 % SL. Dorsum of snout at midline forming a small raised bump, extending posteriorly a short distance along midline as a weakly ossified ridge. Snout broadly crescentic in dorsal view (Fig. 1 B). Mouth large, superior, length of both jaws about one-third HL; mouth distinctly upturned, midline of lower jaw projecting anterior to midline of upper jaw. Posterior edges of jaws curved gently inward in ventral view (Fig. 1 C). Lips relatively thin, prominent groove between upper lip and anterodorsal part of head, frenum present at midline. Basihyal reaching to approximately midway between tip of snout and rear margin of jaw. Teeth in upper and lower jaw conical, slender, sharp, uniform in size, slightly recurved inward, in 1–3 irregular rows. Gill rakers short, blunt, denticulate at terminal end; gill filaments also short, about 3–4 times length of rakers. Nares large and prominent, anterior naris a broad tube extending above upper lip and angled forward about 458 from sagittal plane of head, with thin fleshy flap surrounding oval opening. Posterior naris a large, oval to circular, dorsaloriented opening lacking marginal flap. Nasal rosette and broad tubular connection between anterior and posterior nares readily visible through unpigmented skin. Brain visible beneath skin on top of head, detailed structure not readily visible eternally, but olfactory lobes, cerebellum, and hindbrain evident; optic lobes presumed reduced. Olfactory nerve well developed. Narrow posterior process of mesethmoid and lateral ethmoid articulating with long, closely apposed frontals, together forming a narrow median keel-like ossification connecting the upper jaw bones with the rear of the skull (Fig. 2 A), much thinner than in <i>Eleotris</i> (Fig. 2 B). Large oval foramen on dorsum of head in anophthalmic orbital region (Fig. 2 A), on each side of longitudinal midline, formed in unossified area surrounded by jaw apparatus anteriorly, frontals medially, suspensorium posteriorly and ventrolaterally, overlain by thin opaque yellow musculature and integument. No eyes visible externally in most specimens, but some individuals with a minute spherical black lens located on either side dorsally just below the epidermis, slightly medial to point midway between side of head and center of frontal, at a longitudinal distance of about onethird from tip of the snout to posterior margin of opercle. Opercular openings large, thin opercular membranes nearly separate, only narrowly joined anteroventrally to isthmus. Posteriorly, opercular membrane attached to body anterodorsal to pectoral-fin origin. Branchiostegals acicular, flexible; anterior 1–2 shortest, posterior-most 3–4 longer, gently curved dorsolaterally. Lateral line and cephalic pores absent. Head and body with profuse distribution of sensory papillae in discrete vertical, transverse, horizontal, and oblique rows. The head papillae pattern is essentially the transverse type following the nomenclature of Hoese (1983), but it is unknown if individual lines of papillae are homologous with numbered series as described for many other gobiiforms. The following description is based on a specimen illustrated in Figure 3 and the holotype (Fig. 1). Sensory papillae system forming marked relief on dorsolateral aspect of snout and anterior portion of head, with rows of papillae developed on prominent fleshy ridges; 3–5 ridges in preorbital region with papillae elevated on each ridge in a semicircular pattern from the dorsolateral edge of the head extending around to the ventrolateral aspect of the chin (Fig. 3 A), with an additional dorso-ventral oriented ridge of papillae in an approximately sagittal plane nearly equal to or just behind the posterior margin of the brain (Fig. 3 B). Top of snout with a short longitudinal series of papillae on each side extending from a plane just in front of the anterior naris to a plane approaching the rear margin of the posterior naris, and another short row of papillae distributed laterally and obliquely from each longitudinal series toward the posterior naris. A parallel, oblique row of papillae posterior to the latter, extending from the mid-dorsal to lateral preorbital region of the head. Three irregular horizontal series of papillae on the ventrolateral side of the head, the top two broken, the lower continuous from the posterior margin of the jaw to above the origin of the preopercle and posteriormost branchiostegals; the uppermost of these may correspond to the upper horizontal line (LTU) and the lower to the lower horizontal line (LTB) as described by Hoese (1983). Five vertical rows of papillae on the ventrolateral side of the head distributed from posterior edge of the jaw to anterior edge of the opercle, apparently corresponding to vertical transverse lines (VT) of Hoese (1983). Lateral margin of opercle with a semicircular pattern of papillae in a continuous dorsolateral, vertical, and ventrolateral row. Posterior half of top of head with single longitudinal row and irregular, transverse or obliquely directed papillae distributed mid-medially, posterolateral to brain, and dorsally above each opercle. Preopercular mandibular series consisting of multiple lines of transverse papillae medial to longitudinal line extending from near anterior end of lower jaw to lateral opercular margin (Fig. 3 C). Two dorsolateral rows of papillae, one above and the other just posterior to base of pectoral fin. Single longitudinal row of papillae on each side of middorsal ridge above and just posterior to base of pectoral fin. About five vertical to transverse rows of papillae extending from midlateral region of each side to ventromedial region of abdomen distributed approximately equally between pectoral-fin insertion and urogenital papilla. Additional irregularly spaced vertical rows of papillae distributed along sides of body from plane passing through second dorsal and anal fins to caudal peduncle. First dorsal-fin origin anterior to midpoint of body and vertical through tip of adducted pelvic rays, pre-spinousdorsal fin length 42.7 –50.0% SL, base of fin 6.7–13.4 % SL. Origin of second dorsal fin about equal with or slightly posterior to vertical plane passing through urogenital papilla, slightly anterior to origin of anal fin. Base of second dorsal fin 7.4–18.2 % SL, longer than that of spinous dorsal but less than anal-fin base length. Both second dorsal and anal fins high, sinuous, broadly rounded, middle branched rays longest. Anal fin long, base length 11.4–19.8 % SL, origin slightly posterior to urogenital papilla, insertion slightly posterior to that of second dorsal fin. Caudal fin pointed to lanceolate, middle rays longest (sometimes considerably longer than others), terminal ends of rays frayed in some specimens (see Fig. 1 A; in comparison, species of <i>Dormitator</i> have a broadly rounded fin, and species of <i>Eleotris</i>, <i>Gobiomorus</i>, and <i>Guavina</i> have a semi-truncate to rounded fin). Bases of pelvic fins apposed but fins separate (as in other eleotrids, compared to fused in most gobiids), jugular, anterior to plane passing through origin of pectoral-fin rays but about equal with anterior edge of thick anteromedial pectoral-fin musculature, posterior to symphysis of opercular membranes. Pelvic fin relatively long and ribbon-like, pointed, middle to posterior branched rays longest, tip of appressed fin not reaching to genital papilla. Pectoral-fin base obliquely vertical, origin (dorsal edge) slightly posterior to insertion (ventral edge), basal portion surrounding proximal radials projecting from body as fleshy appendage. Pectoral fins elongate and produced with filamentous rays, most pronounced in larger individuals, middle branched rays longest, tips of appressed fins reaching well posterior to anal-fin origin. <i>Coloration in preservative.—</i> Head and body without pigmentation, uniformly white to yellowish and opaque in appearance. Fins translucent or transparent. Internal organs and musculature yellowish to amber; muscle bands evident where not obscured by squamation. <i>Etymology.—</i> The specific epithet is a patronym to honor our good friend and colleague Thomas L. Morris, discoverer and collector of this new species, renowned cave diver and speleobiologist, intrepid explorer, and respected conservationist devoted to the protection of karst habitats and their associated biotas. <i> <i>Distribution and habitat.—</i> Caecieleotris morrisi</i> is currently known from only a single cave system beneath Presa Miguel Alema'n reservoir, northern State of Oaxaca, Mexico, located along the east side of the Sierra Mazateca front range (Fig. 4). The lake is sometimes also referred to as Temascal, name of an adjacent municipality (also known as Nuevo Soyaltepec) and associated hydroelectric plant. This artificial impoundment was created following the construction of Presa (=dam) Miguel Alema'n, a large dam on the Tonto River, major headwater tributary of the R'&amp;imath;o Papaloapan draining into the southwestern Gulf of Mexico. Construction of the dam began in 1949 and filling of the reservoir was completed in 1955. The 830 m (2,723 ft) long dam and 9,300 km 2 (3,591 mi 2) reservoir provides hydroelectricity, flood control, and irrigation supply. The dam is operated in conjunction with the Cerro do Oro Dam (and associated 220 km 2, 85 mi 2 reservoir) located on the Santo Domingo River, which is joined to Presa Miguel Alema'n reservoir by a short, narrow channel. The Tonto and Santo Domingo rivers join to the south of the city of San Juan Bautista Tuxtepec to form the R'&amp;imath;o Papaloapan, Mexico's second largest river (mean annual discharge 3.73310 4 m 3; Miller et al., 2005). The cave entrance at the type locality lies at a depth of about 6.1 m (20 ft) beneath a rocky bluff along the shoreline of the lake. Immediately within the cave, the depth descends to about 27.4 m (90 ft) before rising to a depth of about 12.2 m (40 ft) where it then levels off. Divers with the collecting party observed flowstone in the cave (sheet-like mineral deposits typically composed of calcite). This suggests that prior to impoundment the entrance might have been a highwater, wet season overflow, and that a lower (now deeper) entrance might exist that could have been a perennial artesian spring in pre-reservoir conditions (Tom Morris, pers. comm.). In addition to this cave the dive team explored a submerged sulfur spring nearby where, as expected, no higher taxa were observed. <i>Conservation status.—</i> All cavefish species of North America are in some level of jeopardy due to endemic distributions and the vulnerability of subterranean habitats to land-use changes and environmental perturbations (Jelks et al., 2008), as is the general case with cavefishes globally (Proudlove, 2001, 2006). Higher taxonomic groups (genera and families) with obligate cave-dwelling species have disproportionately high levels of imperilment in comparison to groups comprised primarily of epigean forms. Stygobitic ictalurids (<i>Prietella lundbergi</i>, <i>P. phreatophila</i>, <i>Satan eurystomus</i>, and <i>Trogloglanis pattersoni</i>) are considered endangered, and the number of at-risk species in other families is high relative to the total number of taxa in each group or the number distributed in North America: a single species (<i>Typhliasina pearsei</i>) of Bythitidae (100 %), the Amblyopsidae (6 of 7 species, 86 %; although <i>Typhlichthys</i> represents a species complex according to Niemiller et al., 2012), and the Heptapteridae (6 of 9, 67%; Jelks et al., 2008; Chakrabarty et al., 2014). Insofar as <i>C. morrisi</i> is presently known only from the type series collected over two decades ago and nothing is known regarding distribution or population abundance, it is strictly conjecture to speculate about conservation status of the species. However, there have been extensive hydrologic modifications in the region of the type locality, and the biologically rich State of Oaxaca has undergone extensive land-use changes over the last few decades. These changes include widespread deforestation (Vela'zquez et al., 2003) that is projected to continue into the future (G'omez-Mendoza et al., 2006), one of many factors known to degrade and threaten subterranean habitats (Bichuette and Trajano, 2010). Within central Mexico many endemic fishes are considered imperiled (Dzul-Caamal et al., 2012). Given current and projected land-use conditions, it may be prudent for the Mexican government to consider protective status for <i>C. morrisi</i> under the Norma Oficial Mexicana (NOM; SEMARNAT, 2010), pending further exploration and studies to evaluate population status, distribution, and ecology of this unique species. DISCUSSION The Gobiiformes is diagnosed by at least 14 putative synapomorphies (Wiley and Johnson, 2010) identified from among a broad suite of osteological and myological characters that have been extensively examined by various investigators in efforts to determine relationships within this species-rich order as well as to explore possible relationships of the Gobiiformes with other percomorph groups (e.g., Springer, 1983; Hoese and Gill, 1993; Johnson and Brothers, 1993; Winterbottom, 1993; Thacker, 2009; Gill and Mooi, 2012). A comprehensive morphological analysis of <i>C. morrisi</i> is beyond the scope of the present study. Furthermore, suboptimal quality of the only cleared-and-stained specimen (CS; 28.2 mm SL, presumably a juvenile or subadult) and lack of specimens exhibiting a complete series of ontogenetic stages precludes a detailed evaluation of many of these characters. Nevertheless, certain character states observed in the CS specimen confirm that the new taxon is a gobiiform: pelvic intercleithral cartilage is present; ventral intercleithral cartilage is present; hypurals 1 and 2 are fused; hypurals 3 and 4 are fused to each other and to the urostyle; the dorsalmost pectoral ray articulates with the posterior margin of the dorsal-most actinost and lacks a medial enlarged articular base; infraorbital bones consist of paired lacrimals and the second element is apparently reduced or absent; supraneurals are absent; and sensory papillae are distributed extensively on the head and body. Placement of <i>C. morrisi</i> in the Eleotridae is provisional on the basis of a limited number of readily observable characters. Monophyly of the family as currently recognized is questionable, and the group is generally defined by plesiomorphic rather than derived characters (Hoese, 1984; Thacker, 2009). Typically, species of Eleotridae, Butidae, Rhyacichthyidae, and Odontobutidae are separated from the Gobiidae and Gobionellidae in having six (versus five) branchiostegal rays (Hoese, 1984; Hoese and Gill, 1993; Thacker, 2011; Gill and Mooi, 2012). Specimens of the type series of <i>C. morrisi</i> exhibit unusual variation of 4–6 (modally 6) branchiostegals, with an asymmetrical number on each side in at least one individual; the small anterior elements are difficult to discern in alcohol-preserved specimens, but a reduced number may be related to developmental truncation as a result of extreme troglomorphy. As in most other eleotrids, <i>C. morrisi</i> also has separate pelvic fins, unlike the majority of other gobiiforms. Also, as is characteristic of other eleotrids (Hoese and Gill, 1993), <i>C. morrisi</i> appears to have procurrent cartilages of the caudal fin elongated posteriorly and extended over the anterior epural(s). Unusual variation observed in some meristic and mensural characters of the type series may be attributable, in part, to developmental truncation as result of troglomorphy, contortion of preserved specimens, inaccurate counts or measurements (difficult given the lack of pigmentation and small body size), or a combination of factors. The discovery of <i>C. morrisi</i> brings to 13 the number of described stygobitic gobiiforms worldwide, and to four the number of Eleotridae, with an additional undescribed cave sleeper reported from Guam (Table 1). Most notably, <i>C. morrisi</i> represents the only cave-adapted sleeper known from Atlantic Ocean drainages, with all others confined to the Indo-Pacific region. Two of the four described cave sleepers (<i>Oxyeleotris caeca</i> and <i>O. colasi</i>) occur on the island of New Guinea and are thought to be related to each other, as well as
description: Published as part of <i>Stephen J. Walsh &amp; Prosanta Chakrabarty, 2016, A New Genus and Species of Blind Sleeper (Teleostei: Eleotridae) from Oaxaca, Mexico: First Obligate Cave Gobiiform in the Western Hemisphere, pp. 506-517 in Copeia 104 (2)</i> on pages 508-514, DOI: 10.1643/CI-15-275, http://zenodo.org/record/269586
description: {"references": ["Hoese, D. F. 1983. Sensory papilla patterns of the cheek lateralis system in the gobiid fishes Acentrogobius and Glossogobius, and their significance for the classification of gobioid fishes. Records of the Australian Museum 35: 223 - 230.", "Miller, R. R., W. L. Minckley, and S. R. Norris. 2005. Freshwater Fishes of Mexico. University of Chicago Press, Chicago.", "Jelks, H. L., S. J. Walsh, N. M. Burkhead, S. Contreras- Balderas, E. Diaz-Pardo, D. A. Hendrickson, J. Lyons, N. E. Mandarak, F. McCormick, J. S. Nelson, S. P. Platania, B. A. Porter, J. J. Schmitter-Soto, E. B. Taylor, and M. L. Warren, Jr. 2008. Conservation status of imperiled North American freshwater and diadromous fishes. Fisheries 33: 372 - 407.", "Proudlove, G. S. 2001. The conservation status of hypogean fishes. Environmental Biology of Fishes 62: 201 - 213.", "Proudlove, G. S. 2006. Subterranean fishes of the world: an account of the subterranean (hypogean) fishes described up to 2003 with a bibliography 1541 - 2004. International Society for Subterranean Biology, Moulis, France.", "Niemiller, M. L., T. J. Near, and B. M. Fitzpatrick. 2012. Delimiting species using multilocus data: diagnosing cryptic diversity in the southern cavefish, Typhlichthys subterraneus (Teleostei: Amblyopsidae). Evolution 66: 846 - 866.", "Chakrabarty, P., J. A. Prejean, and M. L. Niemiller. 2014. The Hoosier cavefish, a new and endangered species (Amblyopsidae, Amblyopsis) from the caves of southern Indiana. ZooKeys 412: 41 - 57.", "Velazquez, A., E. Duran, I. Ra mirez, J. - F. Mas, G. Bocco, G. Ra mirez, and J. - L. Palacio. 2003. Land use-cover change processes in highly biodiverse areas: the case of Oaxaca, Mexico. Global Environmental Change 13: 175 - 184.", "Gomez-Mendoza, L., E. Vega-P ena, M. I. Ra mirez, J. L. Palacio-Preto, and L. Galicia. 2006. Projecting land-use change processes in the Sierra Norte of Oaxaca, Mexico. Applied Geography 26: 276 - 290.", "Bichuette, M. E., and E. Trajano. 2010. Conservation of subterranean fishes, p. 65 - 80. In: Biology of Subterranean Fishes. E. Trajano, M. E. Bichuette, and B. G. Kapoor (eds.). Science Publishers, Enfield, New Hampshire.", "Dzul-Caamal, R., H. F. Olivares-Rubio, C. G. Medina- Segura, and A. Vega-Lopez. 2012. Endangered Mexican fish under special protection: diagnosis of habitat fragmentation, protection, and future-a review, p. 109 - 130. In: Endangered Species: Habitat, Protection and Ecological Significance. M. E. Lucas-Borja (ed.). Nova Science Publishers, New York.", "SEMARNAT. 2010. Norma Oficial Mexicana NOM- 059 - SEMARNAT- 2010, Proteccion ambiental-Especies nativas de Mexico de flora y fauna silvestres-Categorias de riesgo y especificaciones para su inclusion\u00b4, exclusion o cambio- Lista de especies en riesgo. Diario Oficial de la Federacion (2 a. secc.), 30 December 2010.", "Wiley, E. O., and G. D. Johnson. 2010. A teleost classification based on monophyletic groups, p. 123 - 182. In: Origin and Phylogenetic Relationships of Teleosts. J. S. Nelson, H. - P. Schultze, and M. V. H. Wilson (eds.). Verlag Dr. Friedrich Pfeil, Munchen.", "Springer, V. G. 1983. Tyson belos: new genus and species of western Pacific fish (Gobiidae, Xenisthminae), with discussions of gobioid osteology and classification. Smithsonian Contributions to Zoology No. 390: 1 - 40.", "Hoese, D. F., and A. C. Gill. 1993. Phylogenetic relationships of eleotridid fishes (Perciformes; Gobioidei). Bulletin of Marine Science 52: 415 - 440.", "Johnson, G. D., and E. B. Brothers. 1993. Schindleria: a paedomorphic goby (Teleostei: Gobioidei). Bulletin of Marine Science 52: 441 - 471.", "Winterbottom, R. 1993. Search for the gobioid sister group (Actinopterygii: Percomorpha). Bulletin of Marine Science 52: 395 - 414.", "Thacker, C. E. 2009. Phylogeny of Gobioidei and placement within Acanthomorpha, with a new classification and investigation of diversification and character evolution. Copeia 2009: 93 - 104.", "Gill, A. C., and R. D. Mooi. 2012. Thalasseleotrididae, new family of marine gobioid fishes from New Zealand and temperate Australia, with a revised definition of its sister taxon, the Gobiidae (Teleostei: Acanthomorpha). Zootaxa 3266: 41 - 52.", "Hoese, D. F. 1984. Gobioidei: relationships, p. 588 - 591. In: Ontogeny and Systematics of Fishes. H. G. Moser, W. J. Richards, D. M. Cohen, M. P. Fahay, A. W. Kendall, Jr., and S. L. Richardson (eds.). American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists Special Publication No. 1. Allen Press, Lawrence, Kansas.", "Thacker, C. E. 2011. Systematics of Butidae and Eleotridae, p. 79 - 85. In: The Biology of Gobies. R. Patzner, J. L. V. Tassell, M. Kovacic, and B. G. Kapoor (eds.). CRC Press, Boca Raton, Florida.", "Allen, G. R. 1996. Oxyeleotris caeca, a new species of blind cave fish (Eleotridae) from Papua New Guinea. Revue Francaise d'Aquariologie 23: 43 - 46.", "Pouyaud, L., Kadarusman, R. K. Hadiaty, J. Slembrouck, N. Lemauk, R. V. Kusumah, and P. Keith. 2012. Oxyeleotris colasi (Teleostei: Eleotridae), a new blind cave fish from Lengguru in West Papua, Indonesia. Cybium 36: 521 - 529.", "Hoese, D., and M. Kottelat. 2005. Bostrychus microphthalmus, a new microphthalmic cavefish from Sulawesi (Teleostei; Gobiidae). Ichthyological Exploration of Freshwaters 16: 183 - 191.", "Chakrabarty, P., M. P. Davis, and J. S. Sparks. 2012. The first record of a trans-oceanic sister-group relationship between obligate vertebrate troglobites. PLOS ONE 7: e 44083.", "Larson, H. K., R. Foster, W. F. Humphreys, and M. I. Stevens. 2013. A new species of the blind cave gudgeon Milyeringa (Pisces: Gobioidei, Eleotridae) from Barrow Island, Western Australia, with a redescription of M. veritas Whitley. Zootaxa 3616: 135 - 150.", "Tornabene, L., Y. Chen, and F. Pezold. 2013. Gobies are deeply divided: phylogenetic evidence from nuclear DNA (Teleostei: Gobioidei: Gobiidae). Systematics and Biodiversity 11: 345 - 361.", "Thacker, C. E., T. P. Satoh, E. Katayama, R. C. Harrington, R. I. Eytan, and T. J. Near. 2015. Molecular phylogeny of Percomorpha resolves Trichonotus as the sister lineage to Gobioidei (Teleostei: Gobiiformes) and confirms the polyphyly of Trachinoidei. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 93: 172 - 179.", "Huidobro, L., J. J. Morrone, J. L. Villalobos, and F. Alvarez. 2006. Distributional patterns of freshwater taxa (fishes, crustaceans and plants) from the Mexican Transition Zone. Journal of Biogeography 33: 731 - 741.", "Quiroz-Martinez, B., F. Alvarez, H. Espinosa, and G. Salgado-Maldonado. 2014. Concordant biogeographic patterns among multiple taxonomic groups in the Mexican freshwater biota. PLOS ONE 9 (8): e 105510.", "Matamoros, W. A., C. D. McMahan, P. Chakrabarty, J. S. Albert, and J. F. Schaefer. 2015. Derivation of the freshwater fish fauna of Central America revisited: Myer's hypothesis in the twenty-first century. Cladistics 31: 177 - 188.", "Hubbs, C. L. 1938. Fishes from the caves of Yucatan. Carnegie Institution of Washington Publication No. 491: 261 - 295, 4 pl.", "Hobbs, H. H., Jr., H. H. Hobbs, III, and M. A. Daniel. 1977. A review of the troglobitic decapod crustaceans of the Americas. Smithsonian Contributions to Zoology No. 244: 1 - 183.", "Hobbs, H. H., III. 1994. Biogeography of subterranean decapods in North and Central America and the Caribbean region (Caridea, Astacidea, Brachyura). Hydrobiologia 287: 95 - 104.", "Hobbs, H. H., III, and D. M. Lodge. 2010. Decapoda, p. 901 - 967. In: Ecology and Classification of North American Freshwater Invertebrates. Third edition. J. H. Thorp and A. P. Covich (eds.). Academic Press (Elsevier), London.", "Proudlove, G. S. 2010. Biodiversity and distribution of the subterranean fishes of the world, p. 41 - 63. In: Biology of Subterranean Fishes. E. Trajano, M. E. Bichuette, and B. G. Kapoor (eds.). Science Publishers, Enfield, New Hampshire."]}