| This is a
family of about 300 species of freshwater fishes found in Central and
South America (north to southernmost Mexico). They have three pairs of
barbels and a naked body. Barbels and nocturnal habits make members of
this family preadapted to the hypogean environment (Nelson
1994). Seven troglomorphic species have
been described so far. Additionally,
Hubbs (1936, 1938) reported specimens of
R. guatemalensis with certain degree of depigmentation and
eye reduction and called them Rhamdia guatemalensis decolor and
Rhamdia guatemalensis stygaea, respectively. The four other
species/populations of Rhamdia described for southern Mexico and
Belize represent a puzzle not only because of their close similarity to
epigean Rhamdia, but also because of their great variability in
troglomorphic characters and the lack of molecular studies that could shed
some light on their evolution. There may be at least two more species of
stygobiontic representatives for this family. One reported as
Imparfinis sp. by
Trajano (1997c) for the caves in the
Chapada Diamantina, Itaete County, Bahia State, Brazil, and a Taunayia
sp. also reported by
Trajano (1997c) for Brazil: Bahia state:
Campo Formoso County: Toca do Gonçalo cave.
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Phreatobius cisternarum
Goeldi, 1905
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Pimelodella kronei
(Miranda-Ribeiro, 1907)
- Pimelodella spelaea Trajano, Reis & Bichuette,
2004
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Rhamdia laticauda typhla
Greenfield, Greenfield & Woods, 1982
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Rhamdia macuspanensis
Weber & Wilkens, 1998
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Rhamdia quelen
(Quoy & Gaimard, 1824)
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Rhamdia reddelli
Miller, 1984
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Rhamdia zongolicensis
Wilkens, 1993
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