Abstract

MEJIA-ORTIZ, Luis M.. Norms of feeding behavior and progressive adaptations in auxiliary appendages in Agostocaris bozanici and Barbouria yanezi (Crustacea: Decapoda: Caridea: Agostocarididae, Hyppolitidae). Rev. Mex. Biodiv. [online]. 2010, vol.81, suppl., pp.193-201. ISSN 2007-8706.

There are several adaptations shown by crustaceans to cave life; namely: vision loss, lack of pigmentation, specialization of sensory structures and elongation of ambulatory appendages. Since it has been mentioned in the literature that food scarcity is the evolutionary force and that in anchialine caves the main energy source is produced by bacteria, an scanning electron microscopy analysis was conducted to identify the adaptations in the appendages that these crustaceans use for feeding, chelate pereopods and maxillipeds, considering those species that live exclusively in zones that have high levels of H₂S. The results show that Agostocaris bozanici has more setae on the propodus of the third maxilliped whilst Barbouria yanezi has stronger setae in this appendage. But along the inner margin of the chelipeds of A. bozanici is an interesting specialization with a series of long setae possibly used as a tool to separate microorganisms, maybe ciliates, from the sediment. The conclusions are that Barbouria yanezi eats large particulate material in degradation coming from the nearby tropical forest, while Agostocaris bozanici has a specialized seta to eat the microorganisms that decompose this material.

Keywords : cave species; Barbouria; Agostocaris; setae.

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