Typhleotris Petit, 1933

Sparks, John S. & Chakrabarty, Prosanta, 2012, Revision of the Endemic Malagasy Cavefish Genus Typhleotris (Teleostei: Gobiiformes: Milyeringidae), with Discussion of its Phylogenetic Placement and Description of a New Species, American Museum Novitates 2012 (3764), pp. 1-28 : 4

Typhleotris Petit, 1933

DIAGNOSIS: Members of Milyeringidae , comprising the subterranean genera Typhleotris , endemic to southwestern Madagascar, and Milyeringa , endemic to the northwestern cape of Western Australia, are distinguished from all members of their sister group, Eleotridae (except Oxyeleotris caeca , endemic to Papua New Guinea) by the complete loss of eyes, the presence of an elongate, shovellike snout, a well-developed system of sensory papillae on the head, and the loss of pigment throughout the body (apart from the new species, which is uniformly darkly pigmented, except for the distal portion of the fins). Typhleotris is distinguished from Milyeringa by the presence of scales extending onto the head (i.e., at least anteriorly onto the operculum in all species vs. head asquamate in Milyeringa ), ctenoid scales at some point on the body (vs. cycloid only in Milyeringa ), a fully scaled ventrum (vs. chest and belly asquamate from just ventral to pectoral-fin insertion laterally, and extending rostrally to anterior margin of chest and posteriorly [although posterior extent of asquamate region is variable] to slightly beyond pelvic-fin origin on ventrum in Milyeringa ). All species of Typhleotris are fully scaled along the ventrum, as well as laterally below the pectoral fin. Typhleotris is distinguished from Oxyeleotris caeca by the presence of ctenoid scales on the operculum (vs. cycloid in Oxyeleotris ) and a lower vertebral count (24–26 vs. 28 in Oxyeleotris ).

TYPE SPECIES: Typhleotris madagascariensis Petit, 1933 .

INCLUDED SPECIES: Typhleotris madagascariensis , T. pauliani , T. mararybe , new species.