New records of the troglobitic Hyalella veredae Cardoso & Bueno, 2014 (Crustacea, Amphipoda, Hyalellidae) from Minas Gerais caves, southeast Brazil, with notes on its natural history

Abstract

Since its description, the troglobitic amphipod Hyalella veredae Cardoso & Bueno, 2014 has been recorded only in its type locality, Vereda da Palha cave, in southeastern Brazil. We report this species from three other caves in the region, expanding its distribution by at least 20 km². Inter- and intra-population variability in eye size was observed. Two caves had larger populations, probably due to the presence of biofilm. The species was classified as Critically Endangered due to its restricted area of occurrence, and regional impacts and threats.

Keywords

• Biofilm
• conservation
• endangered species
• hypogea