Niphargus tatrensis
Encyclopedia
Niphargus tatrensis is a troglobitic
species of crustacean
in the family Niphargidae
, living in the karst
waters of Austria
, the Czech Republic
, Hungary
, Poland
, and Slovakia
. It can be found in cave
s, and also in karst spring
s and in wells
in the karstic areas.
Niphargus tatrensis was discovered in 1887 by August Wrześniowski in a well in Zakopane
and described by him in 1888. The specific epithet comes from the Tatra Mountains
.
Troglobite
Troglobites are small cave-dwelling animals that have adapted to their dark surroundings. Troglobite species include spiders, insects, fish and others. They live permanently underground and cannot survive outside the cave environment. Troglobite adaptations and characteristics include a heightened...
species of crustacean
Crustacean
Crustaceans form a very large group of arthropods, usually treated as a subphylum, which includes such familiar animals as crabs, lobsters, crayfish, shrimp, krill and barnacles. The 50,000 described species range in size from Stygotantulus stocki at , to the Japanese spider crab with a leg span...
in the family Niphargidae
Niphargidae
Niphargidae is a family of amphipods. It contains the following genera:*Carinurella Sket, 1971*Foroniphargus G. Karaman, 1985*Haploginglymus Mateus & Mateus, 1958*Microniphargus Schellenberg, 1934*Niphargellus Schellenberg, 1938...
, living in the karst
KARST
Kilometer-square Area Radio Synthesis Telescope is a Chinese telescope project to which FAST is a forerunner. KARST is a set of large spherical reflectors on karst landforms, which are bowlshaped limestone sinkholes named after the Kras region in Slovenia and Northern Italy. It will consist of...
waters of Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
, the Czech Republic
Czech Republic
The Czech Republic is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Poland to the northeast, Slovakia to the east, Austria to the south, and Germany to the west and northwest....
, Hungary
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
, Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
, and Slovakia
Slovakia
The Slovak Republic is a landlocked state in Central Europe. It has a population of over five million and an area of about . Slovakia is bordered by the Czech Republic and Austria to the west, Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east and Hungary to the south...
. It can be found in cave
Cave
A cave or cavern is a natural underground space large enough for a human to enter. The term applies to natural cavities some part of which is in total darkness. The word cave also includes smaller spaces like rock shelters, sea caves, and grottos.Speleology is the science of exploration and study...
s, and also in karst spring
Karst spring
A karst spring is a spring that is part of a karst system. That includes the underground drainage of a much larger area, which means that karst springs often have a very large discharge...
s and in wells
Water well
A water well is an excavation or structure created in the ground by digging, driving, boring or drilling to access groundwater in underground aquifers. The well water is drawn by an electric submersible pump, a trash pump, a vertical turbine pump, a handpump or a mechanical pump...
in the karstic areas.
Niphargus tatrensis was discovered in 1887 by August Wrześniowski in a well in Zakopane
Zakopane
Zakopane , is a town in southern Poland. It lies in the southern part of the Podhale region at the foot of the Tatra Mountains. From 1975 to 1998 it was in of Nowy Sącz Province, but since 1999 it has been in Lesser Poland Province. It had a population of about 28,000 as of 2004. Zakopane is a...
and described by him in 1888. The specific epithet comes from the Tatra Mountains
Tatra Mountains
The Tatra Mountains, Tatras or Tatra , are a mountain range which forms a natural border between Slovakia and Poland, and are the highest mountain range in the Carpathian Mountains...
.
Subspecies
- Niphargus tatrensis aggtelekiensis Dudich
- Niphargus tatrensis hrabei S. Karaman
- Niphargus tatrensis lunzensis Schellenberg
- Niphargus tatrensis lurensis Schellenberg
- Niphargus tatrensis reyersdorfensis Schellenberg
- Niphargus tatrensis salzburgensis Schellenberg
- Niphargus tatrensis schneebergensis Schellenberg
- Niphargus tatrensis tatrensis Wrześniowski