Anablepsoides was a subgenus within the genus Rivulus erected by Huber in 1992 to facilitate a unique niche for a Rivulus that could not be adapted its buoyancy as other Rivulus do.

Huber erected Anablepsoides as a monotypic subgenus: only one relatively small species, Rivulus atratus, became the designated type species. (with possibly another related species, R. obscurus) ; morphological characters isolate this taxon, whereas preliminary molecular analysis places Anablepsoides nested within Laimosemion s.l., another subgenus erected by Huber. Costa (2006) has added R. obscurus as a second component. Hence the subgenus would not be monotypic anymore.  Costa & Lazzarotto (2008) added another (new) species, R. amanan, closest to R. obscurus (subgenus with a species flock). Costa (2011) redescribes the subgenus into a full genus status with 42 species, a strange move, with a weak diagnosis and not widely accepted.

Included species in (Costa 2011): Anablepsoides amanan (Costa & Lazzaroto, 2008), A. amphoreus (Huber, 1979), A. atratus (Garman, 1895), A. bahianus (Huber, 1990), A. beniensis (Myers, 1927), A. bondi (Schultz, 1949), A. cajariensis (Costa & De Luca, 2011), A. caurae (Radda, 2004), A. cearensis (Costa & Vono, 2009), A. christinae (Huber, 1992), A. cryptocallus (Seegers & Huber, 1981), A. deltaphilus (Seegers, 1983), A. derhami (Fels & Huber, 1985), A. elongatus (Fels & de Rham, 1981), A. erberi (Berkenkamp, 1989), A. gaucheri (Keith, Nandrin & Le Bail, 2006), A. hartii (Boulenger, 1890), A. holmiae (Eigenmann, 1909), A. igneus (Huber, 1991), A. immaculatus (Thomerson, Nico & Taphorn, 1991), A. intermittens (Fels & de Rham, 1981), A. iridescens (Fels & de Rham, 1981), A. jucundus (Huber, 1992), A. lanceolatus (Eigenmann, 1909), A. limoncochae (Hoede- man, 1962), A. lungi (Berkenkamp, 1984), A. mazaruni (Myers, 1924), A. micropus (Steindachner, 1863), A. monticola (Staeck & Schindler, 1997), A. ophiomimus (Huber, 1992), A. ornatus (Garman, 1895), A. peruanus (Regan, 1903), A. rubrolineatus (Fels & de Rham, 1981), A. speciosus (Fels & de Rham, 1981), A. stagnatus (Eigenmann, 1909), A. taeniatus (Fowler, 1945), A. tessellatus (Huber, 1992), A. tocantinensis (Costa, 2010), A. urophthalmus (Günther, 1866), A. waimacui (Eigenmann, 1909), A. xanthonotus (Ahl, 1926), A. xinguensis (Costa, 2010).

After Costa's work a new paper was released by Huber (2012) in which Huber stated that the major change by the 2011 paper from Costa was not well supported by evidence. Huber's study was based on 144 external characters that produced evidence that Rivulus was still a monophylogenetic assemblage.

The newest taxa since end 2013 added to the subgenus Anablepsoides with already R. atratus, R. ornatus and R. obscurus in it are: R. gamae, R. henschelae, R. jauaperi and R. ottonii, all described by Dr. Wilson Costa and his team.

In this site we do not follow Costa in the upgrade of the subgenus but follow the latest evidence produced by Huber (2012) and recon the genus Rivulus as a monophyletic group with Anablepsoides as one of the subgenera.

Literature:

Huber, J.H. 1992. Review of Rivulus. Ecobiogeography - Relationships. Cybium Suppl., Société Française d'Ichtyologie Publ.: 43.

Costa, W.J.E.M., 2011. Phylogenetic position and taxonomic status of Anablepsoides, Atlantirivulus, Cynodonichthys, Laimosemion and Melanorivulus (Cyprinodontiformes: Rivulidae). *Ichthyological Exploration of Freshwaters* 22 (3): 233-249. 

Huber, J.H. 2012b. Reappraisal of the Phylogeny of Rivulus and its Allied focused on External Characters. Killi-Data Series 2012, 9-25, 3 figs., 2 tabs.