Phylum Arthropoda
Subphylum Crustacea
Class Malacostraca
Order Amphipoda
Family Hadziidae
Mayaweckelia yucatanensis Holsinger, 1977
Taxonomic Characterization: A small stygobitic amphipod distinguished from
M. cenoticola by shorter antenna 1 which is only 50% as long as body,
proportionally shorter and broader gnathopodal propods, smaller and more shallow
coxal plate of pereopod 4, more narrow bases of pereopods 5-7, fewer spines on
uropods and shorter telson with fewer spines (Holsinger, 1977).
Disposition of Specimen: National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian
Institution, catalog numbers USNM 151180; Museum of Texas Tech University; and
the private collection of John Holsinger.
Ecological Classification: Stygobitic
Size: Adult males are up to 2.5 mm in length, while largest adult females
are 3.0 mm
Number of Species in Genus: Two, both stygobitic.
Genus Range:
Species Range: Known only from Grutas de Xtacumbilxunam,
Bolonchenticul, Campeche.
Closest Related Species: Mayaweckelia yucatanensis closely
resembles M. cenoticola, widespread throughout the Yucatan Peninsula.
Habitat: Freshwater limestone cave
Ecology: Collected from a pool with bat guano on the bottom and inhabited
by large numbers of ostracods and shrimp (Holsinger, 1977).
Life History: Not known
Evolutionary Origins: Mayaweckelia is related to both
Mexiweckelia and Hadzia but differs from these genera in several
important ways. It has taxonomic affinities with marine forms and inhabits a
cave situated between the Pliocene and Pleistocene shorelines of Yucatan.
Holsinger (1977, 1990) concluded from this that Mayaweckelia originated
from a marine ancestor by "stranding" in newly developing freshwater habitats
following the regression of sea water during the late Tertiary or early
Quaternary times.
Conservation Status: Know only from a single cave in the state of
Campeche, Mexico.
References:
- Holsinger, J.R. 1977. A new genus and two new species of
subterranean amphipod crustaceans (Gammaridae s. lat.) from the Yucatán
Peninsula in México. Association for Mexican Cave Studies, Bulletin
6:15-25, 7 figures.
- Holsinger, J.R. 1990. Tuluweckelia cernua, a new genus and
species of stygobiont amphipod crustacean (Hadziidae) from anchialine
caves on the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico. Beaufortia, 41(14):
97-107, 5 figures.
- Iliffe, T.M. 1992. An annotated list of the troglobitic anchialine
and freshwater cave fauna of Quintana Roo. Pp. 197-215 in: Diversidad
Biológica en la Reserva de la Biosfera de Sian Ka'an, Quintana Roo,
México, Vol. II, D. Navarro and E. Suárez-Morales, eds., Centro de
Investigaciones de Quintana Roo, Chetumal, Q.R., Mexico, 382 pp.
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Links:
Contributor: John Holsinger, Old Dominion University, Norfolk, VA
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