Cirolanid isopod (Arubolana aruboides)
Facts – Cirolanid isopod
| Synonyms: | Bermudalana aruboides |
|---|
| Kingdom | Animalia |
|---|---|
| Phylum | Arthropoda |
| Class | Crustacea |
| Order | Isopoda |
| Family | Cirolanidae |
| Genus | Arubolana (1) |
| Size | Total male body length: 3.1 to 3.9 mm (2) Total female body length: 3.3 to 4.1mm (2) |
Status – Cirolanid isopod
Classified as Critically Endangered (CR) on the IUCN Red List 2006 (1).
Description – Cirolanid isopod
This cirolanid isopod is a small, blind, unpigmented crustacean with a moderately slender body, which is slightly more than 3 times as long as it is wide (2).
Range – Cirolanid isopod
Reported from Church and Wonderland Caves, Hamilton Parish, and from Bitumen and Wilkinson Quarry Caves, Bermuda (2).
Habitat – Cirolanid isopod
Found in anchialine lakes inside limestone caves. All specimens have been collected from open lake saline waters at depths of 7 to 15 m, and were observed swimming several metres above the bottom (2).
Biology – Cirolanid isopod
Nothing is known about the biology of this species other than that it is believed to be a predator, capturing its food in open waters (2).
Threats – Cirolanid isopod
Wilkinson Quarry Cave is positioned in an active limestone quarry and is therefore threatened with destruction or degradation (2).
Conservation – Cirolanid isopod
There are currently no conservation measures underway targeting this species.
Find out more – Cirolanid isopod
For more information on this atyid shrimp see:
- Anchialine Caves and Cave Fauna of the World:
http://www.tamug.edu/cavebiology/fauna/isopods/A_aruboides.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.
- Saline: salt water.
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/isopods/A_aruboides.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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