Uptaded checklist, historical overview and illustrated guide to the stygobiont Malacostraca (Arthropoda: Crustacea) species of Yucatan (Mexico)

Abstract

This study provides an updated checklist and an illustrated guide to the 17 currently known stygobiont Malacostraca species of the state of Yucatan (Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico). The compilation is based on the individuals collected during our cave-diving expeditions (2016–2019), and, has the purpose of expanding previous knowledge on the taxonomy of these subterranean crustaceans. The identification guide contains drawings of the main diagnostic characters of the species as well as a brief introduction of the relevant malacostracan orders. The information is further complemented with a historic account and timeline of the stygobiont Malacostraca species of the Yucatan Peninsula. This is the first study that provides a unified tool for the morphological identification of these highly endemic species.

Identity Crisis: An Integrative Re-Evaluation of Typhlatya Shrimp within the Karst Aquifer of the Yucatán Peninsula, Mexico.

“…were sampled from cenotes outside of the type locality (Dzilam de Bravo) and where salinities were not reported [29][30][31] . The Dzilam de Bravo system is one of the few scientifically documented cave system in the northern coastline (YS) [13][14][15]25 , contrasting the more than 1,000 km 2 of coastal cave passages that have been explored and documented along the northeastern edge of the Peninsula (QRS) 15,42,43 . Because of the distance between these coastal systems (>200 km), previous work may not have considered the presence of T. dzilamensis in regions well outside of its previously known range or euryhaline tendencies, leading to identification errors.…”

“…Biogeochemical cycling associated with the haloclines have a vital role in sustaining the subterranean food web 11 . Collectively, the spatial variability in salinity and hydrogeology creates a collection of coastal subterranean estuaries 5,12 that host a diverse array of characteristic stygobitic (cave-adapted) fauna [13][14][15] . These environments and associated fauna are also widely referred to as anchialine [16][17][18] .…”

“…More than 170 anchialine species have been recorded in the Yucatán Peninsula, the majority of which are crustaceans [13][14][15]19 . Species of the atyid shrimp genus Typhlatya Creaser, 1936(Atyidae De Haan, 1849[in De Haan, 1833-1850) were among the first cave fauna described from the Yucatán Peninsula 20 .…”

An integrative re-evaluation of Typhlatya shrimp within the karst aquifer of the Yucatán Peninsula, Mexico

“…The spatial variability in salinity and hydrogeology (Fig. 2 ) creates a collection of coastal subterranean estuaries 5 , 12 that host a diverse array of characteristic stygobitic (aquatic cave-adapted) fauna 13 – 15 . These environments and associated fauna are also widely referred to as anchialine 16 – 18 .…”

“…More than 170 anchialine species have been recorded in the Yucatán Peninsula, the majority of which are crustaceans 13 – 15 , 19 . Species of the atyid shrimp genus Typhlatya Creaser, 1936 (Atyidae De Haan, 1849 (in De Haan, 1833–1850)) were among the first cave fauna described from the Yucatán Peninsula 20 .…”