searchable PDF - Association for Mexican Cave Studies

Systematic ReviewThe following is a review of the known cavernicolefauna of Mexico, Guatemala, and Belize, with specialemphasis on those species which are of unusual interestor which make a significant contribution to theecology of the cave habitat. This is in no sense a completelist of species recorded from the caves of thisregion. The tables which accompany each major sectionrecord the number of species of each familyknown from caves in this area; comparatively fewspecies are referred to by name in the text. No completelist of the known cave fauna of these countriesis available, although Reddell (1971b) includes allpublished records for Mexico up to 1971.The checklist of cave-adapted species is as completeas possible. As has been discussed above, the useof the term "troglobite" is arbitrary, and, since wecannot in many instances know if a species is restrictedto the cave habitat, I include in the checklistpart of this review all of those species which appearsignificantly more cave adapted than other relatedspecies. All references to each species are given withas accurate page citations as is possible. A questionmarkfollowing the year in the citation indicates thatthe paper in question is known to refer to that particularspecies but that I have not seen the paper. Typelocalitydata are given as listed in the original description;the correct name of the cave or locality is includedin parentheses. Cave names are those currentlyused by the Association for Mexican Cave Studies.Locations and alternate names of the caves are givenin the locality list in the Appendix.Phylum ProtozoaWith the exception of the study by Osorio Tafall(1943) of two caves in the Sierra de EI Abra, San LuisPotosi, there are no published records of free-livingprotozoans from caves in Mexico (see Table 4). Thisis a group worthy of study as shown by preliminarystudies of Protozoa in the United States and Europe.Class RhizopodeaOrder AmoebidaFamily AmoebidaeThe only species in this family reported fromMexican caves is an undetermined species of Amoebafrom Cueva Chica, San Luis Potosi.Class ActinopodeaOrder HeliozoidaFamily ActinophryidaeAn undetermined species of Actinophrys was reportedfrom Cueva Chica, San Luis Potosi.Order ArceUinidaFamity ArceUidaeArcella vulgaris Ehrenberg was found in Cueva deLos Sabinos, San Luis Potosi.Family DifflugiidaeCentropyxis aculeatus Ehrenberg was taken inboth Cueva Chica and Cueva de Los Sabinos, San LuisPotosi.69