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AMCS Bulletin 5 ReprintTWO NEW SPECIES OF THE SUBTERRANEAN AMPHIPOD GENUS MEXIWECKELIA(GAMMARIDAE) FROM MEXICO AND TEXAS,WITH NOTES ON THE ORIGIN AND DISTRIBUTION OF THE GENUSJohn R. Holsinger 1Department of Invertebrate ZoologyNational Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian InstitutionWashington, D. C. 20560INTRODUCTIONThe genus Mexiweckelia was recently described byHolsinger and Minckley (1971) on the basis of twospecies (M. colei and M. particeps) discovered ingroundwater habitats of the Bolson de Cuatro Cienegasin central Coahuila, northern Mexico. Previous tothis description, only one other species of subterraneanamphipod crustacean (Bogidiel/a tabascensis Villalobos)had been reported from Mexic0 2 • The latterwas described from Grutas del Cocona in Tabasco byVillalobos (1960).During June of 1972, members of the Associationfor Mexican Cave Studies collected blind, white amphipodsfrom two pools in Cueva de la Siquita inDurango, Mexico. Upon examination these specimensproved to represent an undescribed species of MexilperlTlanentaddress: Department of Biology, Old DominionUniversity, Norfolk, Virginia 23508.2The genus Bogidiella was previously referred to the familyBogidiellidae by a number of workers, including myself(Holsinger and Minckley, 1971). After careful study, however,I now regard this family as invalid and this genus as amember of the family Gammaridae.3Descriptions of three new species of Bogidiella from subterraneanwaters in Mexico (2 spp.l and Guatemala (1 sp.)were recently prepared by Dr. Augusto Vigna-Taglianti(Rome) and Professor Dr. Sandro Ruffo (Verona) and willbe published in the near future (Vigna-Taglianti, in litt.,24 Nov. 1972).weckelia. The following description of this new speciesbrings the total number of subterranean amphipodspecies recorded from Mexico to four 3 and thenumber of cavernicolous species to two. The twospecies from Cuatro Cienegas, while of subterraneanfacies (i.e., blind and depigmented), were collectedfrom groundwater outlets (seeps, springs and springfedpools) and not from true cave habitats.During my continuing investigation of NorthAmerican subterranean amphipods of the familyGammaridae, I had the opportunity to study fourspecimens collected by Leslie Hubricht in 1940 fromthe artesian well at the fish hatchery in San Marcos,Texas. Although these specimens were in poor condition(many of the pereopods were broken off andthe third uropods were missing), they represented anew species assignable to Mexiweckelia. The followingdescription of this species brings the total number ofspecies in Mexiweckelia to four and marks a significantextension of the genus into the southern UnitedStates.Mexiweckelia mitchelli, new speciesFigs. 1-3Material Examined-Cueva de la Siquita, 45 kmNW Mapiml: Durango, MEXICO: Holotype femaleand 84 paratypes collected 13 June 1972 by JamesReddell, William Elliott and Edward Alexander. Theholotype (USNM 142355) and 6 paratypes (USNM