Thermosbaenacea is a group of crustaceans that live in thermal springs in fresh water, brackish water and anchialine habitats. They have occasionally been treated as a distinct superorder (Pancarida), but are generally considered to belong to the Peracarida. Due to their troglobitic lifestyle, thermosbaenaceans lack visual pigments and are therefore blind.
The current distribution of some genera tallies well with the Miocene extent of the Tethys Sea, and it is assumed that the extant taxa are derived from ancestors that lived in open marine habitats. Elsewhere, the distribution is consistent with the break-up of Pangaea.
The developing embryos are carried by the adult under its carapace until hatching.
Classification
Thirty-four species are currently recognised, in four families:
- Thermosbaenidae <small>Monod, 1927</small>
- Thermosbaena mirabilis <small>Monod, 1924</small> Tunisia
- Monodellidae <small>Taramelli, 1924</small>
- Monodella stygicola <small>Ruffo, 1949</small> southern Italy
- Tethysbaena aiakos <small>Wagner, 1994</small> Greece
- Tethysbaena argentarii <small>(Stella, 1951)</small> Italy
- Tethysbaena atlantomaroccana <small>(Boutin & Cals, 1985)</small> Morocco
- Tethysbaena calsi <small>Wagner, 1994</small> British Virgin Islands
- Tethysbaena colubrae <small>Wagner, 1994</small> Puerto Rico
- Tethysbaena coqui <small>Wagner, 1994</small> Puerto Rico
- Tethysbaena gaweini <small>Wagner, 1994</small> Cuba
- Tethysbaena haitiensis <small>Wagner, 1994</small> Cuba
- Tethysbaena halophila <small>(S.L. Karaman, 1953)</small> Croatia
- Tethysbaena juglandis <small>Wagner, 1994</small> Haiti
- Tethysbaena juriaani <small>Wagner, 1994</small> Cuba
- Tethysbaena lazarei <small>Wagner, 1994</small> Cuba
- Tethysbaena relicta <small>(Por, 1962)</small> Israel
- Tethysbaena sanctaecrucis <small>(Stock, 1976)</small> British Virgin Islands
- Tethysbaena scabra <small>(Pretus, 1991)</small> Spain (Balearic Islands)
- Tethysbaena scitula <small>Wagner, 1994</small> British Virgin Islands
- Tethysbaena siracusae <small>Wagner, 1994</small> Italy (Sicily)
- Tethysbaena stocki <small>Wagner, 1994</small> British Virgin Islands
- Tethysbaena somala <small>(Chelazzi & Messana, 1982)</small> Somalia
- Tethysbaena tarsiensis <small>Wagner, 1994</small> Spain
- Tethysbaena texana <small>(Maguire, 1965)</small> United States (Texas)
- Tethysbaena tinima <small>Wagner, 1994</small> Cuba
- Tethysbaena vinabayesi <small>Wagner, 1994</small> Cuba
- Tulumellidae <small>Wagner, 1994</small>
- Tulumella bahamensis <small>Yager, 1988</small> Bahamas
- Tulumella grandis <small>Yager, 1988</small> Bahamas
- Tulumella unidens <small>Bowman & Iliffe, 1988</small> Mexico
- Halosbaenidae <small>Monod & Cals, 1988</small>
- Limnosbaena finki <small>Mestrov & Lattinger-Penko, 1969</small> Bosnia and Herzegovina and northern Italy
- Halosbaena acanthura <small>Stock, 1976</small> Venezuela, Netherlands Antilles (Curaçao)
- Halosbaena fortunata <small>Bowman & Iliffe, 1986</small> Spain (Canary Islands)
- Halosbaena tulki <small>Poore & Humphreys, 1992</small> Australia (Western Australia)
- Theosbaena cambodjiana <small>Cals & Boutin, 1985</small> Cambodia
References
External links