Procarid shrimp  (Procaris chacei)

Classified as Critically Endangered (CR) on the IUCN Red List 2006 (1).

This procarid shrimp has a thin, fragile integument (hard outer covering of the body). The carapace and short, triangular rostrum are unarmed, and the eyestalks split into two blunt lobes. All five pairs of walking limbs (pereiopods) are similar, each with large, bristle-like structures (2).

Recorded only from Green Bay Cave in Hamilton Parish, Bermuda (2).

Found in anchialine limestone caves (2).

Nothing is known about the biology of this species.

The threats to this species are unknown.

There are currently no conservation measures underway targeting this species.

For more information on this procarid shrimp see:

• Anchialine Caves and Cave Fauna of the World:
  http://www.tamug.edu/cavebiology/fauna/shrimp/P_chacei.html

• 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.
• Carapace: the hard shell covering the upper surface of part of the body of a crustacean.
• Rostrum: Central, forward-projecting and occasionally long spine between the eyes of crustaceans.

1. IUCN Red List (January, 2007)
   http://www.iucnredlist.org
2. Anchialine Caves and Cave Fauna of the World (February, 2007)
   http://www.tamug.edu/cavebiology/fauna/shrimp/P_chacei.html