CARIDINA SPELUNCA, A NEW SPECIES OF FRESHWATER SHRIMP (CRUSTACEA DECAPODA ATYIDAE) FROM A WESTERN AUSTRALIAN CAVE

WA Museum Records and Supplements | Updated 1 decade ago

Abstract - A new species of freshwater atyid shrimp, Caridina spelunca sp. nov., collected from a series of tufa dams within the outflow tunnel of Old Napier Downs Cave in the northern Napier Range, Western Australia, is described and illustrated. It is the first species of Caridina to be reported from Western Australia. Caridina spelunca sp. nov. can be distinguished from other species of Caridina by a combination of the following diagnostic characters: deep cephalothorax (depth about 0.8 times length), relatively small but normal eyes, presence of epipods on the first four pairs of pereiopods, lack of a median spine on the posterior telsonic margin and the absence of an appendix interna on the endopod of the first male pleopod.