''Typhlocaris galilea'' is a species of

troglobitic A troglobite (or, formally, troglobiont) is an animal species, or population of a species, strictly bound to underground habitats, such as caves. These are separate from species that mainly live in above-ground habitats but are also able to live u ...

shrimp Shrimp are crustaceans (a form of shellfish) with elongated bodies and a primarily swimming mode of locomotion – most commonly Caridea and Dendrobranchiata of the decapod order, although some crustaceans outside of this order are refer ...

in the genus ''

Typhlocaris ''Typhlocaris'' is a genus of blind troglobite, cave-dwelling Caridea, shrimp, placed in its own family, Typhlocarididae. It contains 4 species: *''Typhlocaris ayyaloni'' Tsurnamal, 2008 – Israel *''Typhlocaris galilea'' Calman, 1909 – Isra ...

'', and is

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found elsew ...

to one pool and spring that feeds it, at

Tabgha Tabgha ( ar, الطابغة, ''al-Tabigha''; he, עין שבע, ''Ein Sheva'' which means "spring of seven") is an area situated on the north-western shore of the Sea of Galilee in Israel and a depopulated Palestinian village. It is traditional ...

in Israel. The species is critically endangered and a conservation programme to conserve the species has begun.

Description

The

relict A relict is a surviving remnant of a natural phenomenon. Biology A relict (or relic) is an organism that at an earlier time was abundant in a large area but now occurs at only one or a few small areas. Geology and geomorphology In geology, a r ...

species was first described in 1909, by

William Thomas Calman William Thomas Calman (29 December 1871 – 29 September 1952) was a Scottish zoologist, specialising in the Crustacea. From 1927 to 1936 he was Keeper of Zoology at the British Museum (Natural History) (now the Natural History Museum). Life ...

. The shrimp are semi-transparent and blind. Adult specimens are approximately long. Their diet probably consists mainly of a small red tubificid worm, '' Isochaeta israelis''.

Distribution

The shrimp is

to one chamber of a

Roman Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *''Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a letter ...

cistern A cistern (Middle English ', from Latin ', from ', "box", from Greek ', "basket") is a waterproof receptacle for holding liquids, usually water. Cisterns are often built to catch and store rainwater. Cisterns are distinguished from wells by t ...

, Ein-Nur octagonal pool (the private property of a monastery, at ), and a warm (), sulphuric, saline subterranean spring that feeds it, at

, on the north shore of the

Sea of Galilee The Sea of Galilee ( he, יָם כִּנֶּרֶת, Judeo-Aramaic: יַמּא דטבריא, גִּנֵּיסַר, ar, بحيرة طبريا), also called Lake Tiberias, Kinneret or Kinnereth, is a freshwater lake in Israel. It is the lowest ...

in Israel.

Conservation

The species is now critically endangered, as the extraction of

ground water Groundwater is the water present beneath Earth's surface in rock and soil pore spaces and in the fractures of rock formations. About 30 percent of all readily available freshwater in the world is groundwater. A unit of rock or an unconsolidated ...

has allowed foreign water into the pool, changing its composition and temperature. It is legally protected (Section 5, paragraphs D and E, of the Fisheries Rules of 1937 as amended). In 2013, the

Israel Nature and Parks Authority The Israel Nature and Parks Authority ( he, רשות הטבע והגנים ''Rashut Hateva Vehaganim''; ar, سلطة الطبيعة والحدائق) is an Israeli government organization that manages nature reserves and national parks in Israel, ...

approached the

Jerusalem Biblical Zoo The Tisch Family Biblical Zoo in Jerusalem ( he, גן החיות התנ"כי בירושלים על שם משפחת טיש, ar, حديقة الحيوان الكتابية في أورشليم القدس '), popularly known as the Jerusalem Bibl ...

to develop a

captive breeding Captive breeding, also known as captive propagation, is the process of plants or animals in controlled environments, such as wildlife reserves, zoos, botanic gardens, and other conservation facilities. It is sometimes employed to help species that ...

programme for the species, with a view to later

reintroduction Species reintroduction is the deliberate release of a species into the wild, from captivity or other areas where the organism is capable of survival. The goal of species reintroduction is to establish a healthy, genetically diverse, self-sustainin ...

References

External links

* {{Taxonbar, from=Q12410019 Palaemonoidea Cave shrimp Crustaceans described in 1909 Arthropods of Israel Critically endangered animals

Description

Distribution

Conservation

See also

References

Further reading

External links