Tim Holt-Wilson has written a nice piece about well shrimps (Niphargids) on his blog ‘Living World’.
What are Niphargids??
They are small, blind, colourless crustaceans inhabiting groundwater and known to science as Niphargids. As it turns out, hardly anyone has heard of them; they are an invisible part of Britain’s biodiversity in more ways than one. The first recorded specimen in England was found in the well at Bart’s Hospital, London, in 1812. Further examples of these stygobitic (‘styx-living’), hypogeal (‘beneath the earth’) crustacea were identified in wells and caves in the 19th century, including Niphargus kochianus, N. fontanus and N.aquilex; all three have since been found living in East Anglia. The most widespread is N.kochianus, which lives in the Chalk (Proudlove et al, 2003).
Go over to Living World to read the full story – A hidden piece of UK Biodiverity!
