Macromaxillocaris
genus of crustaceans
Macromaxillocaris bahamaensis is a species of stenopodidean shrimp, the only species in the family Macromaxillocarididae. It is a troglobite, known only from an anchialine pool in a cave in the Bahamas. It differs from other stenopodideans by the enlargement of its third maxilliped.
Description
The holotype of M. bahamaensis has a total length (TL) of 14.4 millimetres (0.57 in) (carapace length, CL, 4.5 mm or 0.18 in); the paratype is smaller at TL 9.7 mm (0.38 in), CL 3.0 mm (0.12 in). In common with other troglobitic species, the body lacks pigments, and the eyes are vestigial. Like other stenopodideans, Macromaxillocaris has chelae (claws) on the first three pairs of pereiopods (walking legs); it differs from them by the size of the third maxilliped, which is greatly enlarged in Macromaxillocaris, and is the strongest of all the animal's appendages.
Distribution and habitat
Macromaxillocaris bahamaensis is the first species discovered among the Stenopodidea to be adapted to a troglobitic lifestyle. It was found in an anchialine pool in Oven Rock Cave on Great Guana Cay, a short distance west of Exuma Cays in the Bahamas. Oven Rock Cave was first explored in 1993 and contains at least 20 species of stygobiont, and is thus a hotspot of subterranean biodiversity. The entrance to the cave is on a hillside, and leads to a small lake, 1.5 m (4 ft 11 in) deep, but which is connected to an underwater room, which is in turn connected to other passages; over 300 m (980 ft) has been explored.
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This entry incorporates text from “Macromaxillocaris” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.