Atyid shrimp (Typhlatya iliffei)
Facts – Atyid shrimp
| Kingdom | Animalia |
|---|---|
| Phylum | Arthropoda |
| Class | Crustacea |
| Order | Decapoda |
| Family | Atyidae |
| Genus | Typhlatya (1) |
| Size | Female carapace length: 6.3 - 6.5 mm (2) |
Status – Atyid shrimp
Classified as Critically Endangered (CR) on the IUCN Red List 2006 (1).
Description – Atyid shrimp
This small shrimp is whitish overall with some internal red pigment cells (chromatophores). The eyes are also pigmented and are directed upward through the orbit (eye socket). The walking legs are long and slender, and there is a long, simple, spine-like rostrum, but no spines exist on the smooth body surface (carapace) (2).
Range – Atyid shrimp
Known only from Tucker’s Town Cave, Bermuda (2).
Habitat – Atyid shrimp
Found in the brackish water of a sand and silt-bottomed pool in a single, anchialine, limestone cave. Specimens have been collected at a depth of 12 m (2).
Biology – Atyid shrimp
Nothing is known about the biology of this species.
Threats – Atyid shrimp
The threats to this atyid shrimp are unknown, but its confinement to just a single cave place it in an extremely vulnerable position in which habitat degradation or alteration could rapidly lead to its extinction (2).
Conservation – Atyid shrimp
There are currently no conservation measures underway targeting this species.
|
View information on this species at the UNEP World Conservation Monitoring Centre. |
Find out more – Atyid shrimp
For more information on this atyid shrimp see:
- Anchialine Caves and Cave Fauna of the World:
http://www.tamug.edu/cavebiology/fauna/shrimp/T_iliffei.html
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Glossary
- Anchialine: coastal bodies of standing waters that have no surface connections to the ocean but display both tidal fluctuations and salinity ranges characteristic of fresh and brackish waters, indicating the presence of subsurface connections to the watertable and ocean.
- Chromatophores: Pigment-bearing cells.
- Rostrum: Central, forward-projecting and occasionally long spine between the eyes of crustaceans.
References
-
IUCN Red List (January, 2007)
http://www.iucnredlist.org -
Anchialine Caves and Cave Fauna of the World (February, 2007)
http://www.tamug.edu/cavebiology/fauna/shrimp/T_iliffei.html
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Image credit
© Dr. Thomas M. Iliffe
Dr. Thomas M. Iliffe
Department of Marine Biology
Texas A&M University at Galveston
5007 Ave. U
Galveston
TX
77551
United States of America
iliffe@cavebiology.com
http://www.cavebiology.com
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