Stygiocaris
Genus of crustaceans
title: "Stygiocaris" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["atyidae", "decapod-genera", "cave-shrimp", "freshwater-crustaceans-of-western-australia"] description: "Genus of crustaceans" topic_path: "geography/australia" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stygiocaris" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0
::summary Genus of crustaceans ::
| image = Stygiocaris stylifera.jpg | image_caption = Stygiocaris stylifera | taxon = Stygiocaris | authority = Holthuis, 1960 | subdivision_ranks = Species | subdivision =
- Stygiocaris lancifera Holthuis, 1960
- Stygiocaris stylifera Holthuis, 1960
Stygiocaris is a genus of shrimp from caves in the North West Cape and Barrow Island, Western Australia.
Stygiocaris is highly troglobitic, being transparent, less than 20 mm long and with reduced eyes. It was first described by Lipke Holthuis in 1960.
The genus contains two species – Stygiocaris stylifera and Stygiocaris lancifera. S. stylifera is larger than S. lancifera, and also differs in the shape of the rostrum, which is lance-shaped in S. lancifera and constricted at its basal end, but straight and without any constriction in S. stylifera. Other distinguishing features include the shape of the fifth and sixth abdominal somites, and the bases of the antennae.
The two species of Stygiocaris were the first cave shrimp to be reported from Australia, and the type specimens were mostly taken from Kuddumurra Well, from which the fish Milyeringa veritas was described in 1945. The temperature in the well was recorded as 29 -, and it contained fresh water, but is influenced by the tides.
References
References
- Timothy J. Page, William F. Humphreys & Jane M. Hughes. (2008). "Shrimps Down Under: evolutionary relationships of subterranean crustaceans from Western Australia (Decapoda: Atyidae: ''Stygiocaris'')". [[PLoS ONE]].
- L. B. Holthuis. (1960). "Two new species of atyid shrimps from subterranean waters of N. W. Australia (Decapoda Natantia)". [[Crustaceana]].
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