Calabozoidae Van Lieshout, 1983

Prevorčnik, Simona, Ferreira, Rodrigo Lopes & Sket, Boris, 2012, Brasileirinidae, a new isopod family (Crustacea: Isopoda) from the cave in Bahia (Brazil) with a discussion on its taxonomic position, Zootaxa 3452, pp. 47-65 : 56-57

Calabozoidae Van Lieshout, 1983

Type species. Pongycarcinia xiphidiourus Messana, Baratti & Benvenuti, 2002

Material examined. Juvenile male, 2.8 mm, OBBFUL I0016 and mature female, 3 mm, OBBFUL I0017, both Toca do Gonçalo, Campo Formoso, Bahia State, Brazil, lat: 10º30'41"S, long: 40º53'39.8"W, 546 m a.s.l., leg. R. L. Ferreira, 28.12.2010, partially dissected and mounted on glycerol-gelatine on two slides; 2 juvenile males, ISLA 1505 and 1 mature female, ISLA 1506 all in 96% ethanol; 6 mature females, OBBFUL I0016, Toca da Jurema, Várzea Nova, Bahia State, Brazil, lat: 11,0563567S, long: 41,092988W, leg. R. L. Ferreira, 20.07.2008.

Male and female supplementary description ( Figs 7 and 8 )

Mandibles without palp and molar process (pars molaris). Right mandible with bipartite incisor (pars incisiva), each part with 4 sclerotized cusps, lacinia mobilis short, with 3 indistinct cusps and spine row reduced to a single pappose robust seta. Left mandible similar but with one-part incisor and sclerotized lacinoid spine with densely serrated bifid apex.

Pleopods in males and females biramous, only pleopods II show strong sexual dimorphism. Juvenile male pleopod I as female pleopod I, protopodite obtusely subtrapezoidal, endopodite narrow ellipsoidal, elongate, about 1.7 times as long as protopodite, with apical plumose seta about 1.7 times as long as endopodite, exopodite lamellar, subtriangular, about 2.6 times as long as endopodite, with 4 plumose setae along distal margin. Juvenile male pleopod II exopodite lamellar, ellipsoid, about half as long as wide, with 7–8 plumose setae on internal and distal margins, both endopodites elongated, blade-like, but left endopodite with obtuse instead of pointed apex, its length about 85% of right endopodite length. Female pleopod II endopodite elongated oval, with apical plumose seta, lamellar exopodite ellipsoid, about 2 times as wide as long and about 2 times as long as endopodite, with 3 long plumose setae on internal and 5 shorter plumose setae on apical margin.

Uropods long styliform, greatly surpassing the pleotelson apex.

Habitat. The Toca do Gonçalo cave is one of the most affected caves in the Brazilian Caatinga formation, due to the impact of human utilization. It is located in a small village, representing its only water source. For decades, people are extracting water from the cave using a diesel-water pump which releases smoke into the cave atmosphere and oil into phreatic waters. But the pump is used only once a week, for a short period that allows refilling of the external water reservoirs. That was a compromise between cave conservation principles and socioeconomic issues accepted due to the extreme poverty of villagers. However, in 2010 an additional electric water pump was installed inside the cave, by a farmer from another village. He had turned the pump on early each morning and kept pumping water throughout the day for the purpose of irrigation. This pump caused a severe decrease in the phreatic level of more than 1 m. After our visit to the cave in December 2010, we’ve informed the Brazilian Agency of the Environment about the situation. The Agency negotiated with the Municipal Council to promote the installation of an artesian well outside the cave and enable the removal of both water pumps.

More than a decade ago, the pH of water was 6.99, temperature 26.38 °C, dissolved oxygen 1.06–2.49 mgl -1 and conductivity 1.47 µScm -1 ( Messana et al. 2002). In mid-June 2012 the water parameters were: pH 7.63, temperature 26.5 °C, dissolved oxygen 2.04 mgl -1 and conductivity 1.63 µScm -1. Despite the fact that the first measurements were taken with the water pump still operating and the latter were taken after its removal, the values of measured parameters did not change significantly. This could eventually indicate that a “buffer effect” of the phreatic water circulation had protected the aquatic cave fauna from the long lasting human effects.

Figures

FIGURE 7. Pongycarcinia xiphidiourus, Toca do Gonçalo, Campo Formoso, Bahia State, Brazil, supposedly juvenile male, 2.8 mm: Plp I (v), pleopod I, ventral view; Plp II (Lv), left pleopod II, ventral view; Plp II (Rd), endopodite of pleopod II, dorsal view; female, 3 mm: Plp II f, pleopod II.

FIGURE 8. Pongycarcinia xiphidiourus, Toca da Jurema, Várzea Nova, Bahia State, Brazil.