THE FRESH-WATER FISHES OF WESTERN CUBA. 
By C. H. EIGENMANN, 
Professor of Zoology , University of Indiana. 
During March, 1902, the writer, accompanied by one of his students, Mr. Oscar 
Riddle, as assistant and interpreter, made a series of collections in the fresh waters of 
western Cuba, in the streams accessible by the Western Railway and the United 
Habana Railways. Attempts to reach waters remote from the railways were aban- 
doned on account of the expense, both in time and money. Sumidero was reached 
by horse from Pinar del Rio, and the caves about Canason foot and by volante. The 
original and chief object of the visit to Cuba was to secure material for a study of the 
eyes of the blind fishes, Stygicola and Lucifuga . In this I was successful. The 
fresh-water fishes proved also of considerable interest. As might have been expected, 
many of the more abundant and larger species had been previously described by 
Poey. Nothing, however, was known about the distribution of fresh-water fishes, 
and there were found a surprising number of new species. 
I wish here to express my thanks to Mr. A. P. Livesey and Mr. J. E. Wolfe, 
the managers of the Western and United Habana Railways, who did all in their power 
to make the available time profitable from a scientific standpoint. 1 am also under 
obligations to Mr. Philip Hammond, the chief engineer of the United Habana Railroads, 
for suggestions and various favors. Mr. Pascual Ferreiro, of the Cuban railway 
postal department, kindly acted as guide to the Pedregales caves, and Mr. Francisco 
Martinez and his brother to the caves about Canas. The success of the expedition 
was largely due to my companion, Mr. Oscar Riddle, whose previous stay in Porto 
Rico and trip to Trinidad and the Orinoco had familiarized him with the language of 
the country and enabled him to deal with the natives. 
The drawings illustrating this paper were made by Mr. Clarence Kennedy. 
In his “ Memorias sobre la Historia Natural de la Isla de Cuba,” tomo 2, pp. 
95-114, 1850, Poey describes two species of blind fishes, Lucifuga subterraneus and 
Lucifuga dentatus , from caves on the southern slopes of the jurisdiction of San 
Antonio, Guanajay, and San Cristobal." They were first brought to notice by the 
surveyor, D. Tranquilino Sandalio de Noda. Specimens were secured for Poey by 
Dubroca, Fabre, and Layunta. 
« Jordan & Evermarm, in their Fishes of North and Middle America, in, p. 2501, give a number of localities for 
which I can find no authority in Poey. Thus “San Antonio, Cuba (Coll. D. Tranquilino); Sandalio de Noda (Coll. D. 
•Tuan Antonio Fabre)” and cave at the “ Castle of Concord.” I can not find the authority for the locality San Antonio, 
Cuba; the collector given as D. Tranquilino is probably D. Tranquilino Sandalio de Noda; the second locality Sandalio 
de Noda is probably the latter section of the name of the man who first called attention to them. Castle of Concord 
should probably read “ Coffee plantation La Concordia.” 
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