BLIND ANIMALS IN CUBA 291 



geologists claim, western Cuba has been deeply submerged, it 

 seems equally certain that it must have been subsequently 

 joined to Central America. As Professor Eigenmann* re- 

 marks, this Cuban fauna has greater affinity with that of 

 Mexico than with that of Florida, showing that the fishes 

 probably reached Cuba by way of Yucatan. 



Western Cuba possesses, among other curiosities, blind 

 crustaceans (Palaemonetes). They are what we might call 

 monster prawns, and have probably had marine ancestors. 

 An allied species is known from the subterranean waters of 

 Texas. Faunistically they are not of great importance. Not 

 so, however, the fresh -water crayfishes, which are justly 

 regarded by Dr. Ortmann f as among the most valuable means 

 for demonstrating former changes of land and water. All the 

 species of Cambarus but one inhabit either Mexico or the 

 United States. Only a single crayfish occurs in the isolated 

 position of Cuba. This species (C. cubensis) is closely related 

 to Cambarus mexicanus, whereas the United States species are 

 more distant relatives. Dr. Ortmann assumes on that 

 account a former land connection between Mexico and Cuba. 



The fresh-water crabs, as I already indicated, advanced 

 northward from the south, eventually invading the Central 

 American territory and the West Indies. Thus three species 

 of Pseudothelphusa have been discovered in Cuba. One of 

 these (P. americana) ranges from Mexico through Cuba to 

 Haiti. Another (P. terrestris) is confined to Mexico and 

 Cuba, while a third (P. affinis) is restricted to Cuba. More- 

 over the genus Epilobocera is peculiar to the Greater 

 Antilles, viz., Cuba, Haiti and Portorico, and some smaller 

 neighbouring islands. A species of Pseudothelphusa closely 

 allied to a Venezuelan form is likewise known from some of 

 the Lesser Antilles. 



From these facts Dr. Ortmann (pp. 344 347) concludes 

 that the first immigration of fresh-water decapods represented 

 by Epilobocera, into the Greater Antilles, belongs to the end 

 of the Cretaceous or the beginning of the Tertiary era. 

 Cambarus cubensis, he suggests, possibly belongs to it also. 



* Eigenmann, C. H., "Freshwater Fishes of Cuba," pp. 220221. 

 t Ortmann, A. E., "Distribution of Freshwater Decapods," p. 315. 



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