Horton H. Hobbs Jr. sometime before 1995 made the trek to Actun Chapat.
A new genus of shrimp was discovered on their trip and they wrote a scientific paper about it. The shrimp on the left is not the catonium, but is in the same genus, Macrobrachium.
The one they found in the lake in Actun Chapat was, "lacking pigment except for eye spot which was purplish to black".
This may only interest the scientific crowd, but in reality when you start researching it is incredibly interesting. It also raises some questions about the cave in general and the creatures that live there.
- How many generations does it take for this shrimp to lose it's pigmentation?
- What adapatations has it made since it's journey from where it came from to where it is now? ("K strategists")
- Where did they come from?
Time for an expedition past the lake!
Here is the paper that was sent to me. I want to thank whomever sent this.And thanks to the Hobbs for making this discovery!
Shrimp in Actun Chapat, Belize
