John R. Holsinger, Dennis Williams, Jill Yager and Thomas M. Iliffe (1986).
Zoogeographic implications of Bahadzia, a hadziid amphipod crustacean recently described
from anchialine caves in the Bahamas and Turks and Caicos Islands. Stygologia 2:77-83.
Bahadzia, presently composed of
two closely similar stygobiont species, was recently described from
anchialine caves in the Bahamas and Turks and Caicos Islands. This genus is
apparently more closely allied taxonomically with Metaniphargus and
Saliweckelia than with other genera assigned to the family Hadziidae
in the greater Caribbean-Gulf of Mexico region. However, it also shares some
important characters with the Yucatan genus Mayaweckelia, but its
phylogenetics relationship to this genus is unclear and needs further study.
Of the two theories advanced to explain the origin of Bahadzia, the
one suggesting this genus is an ancient relict that was derived from an
early hadziid fauna in the old Tethyan seaway is favored.
John R. Holsinger,
Department of Biological Sciences, Old Dominion University, Norfolk, Virginia
23508, USA - Thomas M. Iliffe, Department of Marine
Biology, Texas A&M University at Galveston, P.O. Box 1675, Galveston, Texas
77553, USA.
E-mail:
jholsing@odu.edu - iliffet@tamug.edu
Keywords: Bahadzia, Amphipoda, anchialine, cave, Bahamas, Caicos Islands.
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