Troglocaris


Troglocaris is a genus of freshwater shrimp in the family Atyidae. These stygobitic, whitish and eyeless shrimp are found in Southern Europe. Although locally very common, the small ranges of the individual species make them highly vulnerable to habitat loss, for example by water extraction. Their underground habitat is often extremely stable; for example, the Vipavska jama cave in Slovenia is home to a population of T. anophthalmus, and its water only varies from in the winter to in the summer. In some Dinaric caves, notably Vjetrenica, as many as three species may occur together.
These shrimp sometimes fall prey to olm salamanders, but are able to survive injuries if the attack fails. The Dinaric Troglocaris are the main host of several species of parasitic or epizoic flatworms of the family Scutariellidae.

Species

Troglocaris currently contains 15 described species, but there are also a number of undescribed species. Gallocaris inermis, a stygobitic shrimp from southern France, was formerly included in Troglocaris.
;Subgenus Troglocaris
;Subgenus Xiphocaridinella
;Subgenus Troglocaridella
;Subgenus Spelaeocaris