Hobb's Cave Amphipod
Crangonyx hobbsi Shoemaker, 1941
Taxonomy
| Kingdom | Animalia |
|---|---|
| Phylum | Arthropoda |
| Subphylum | Crustacea |
| Class | Malacostraca |
| Order | Amphipoda |
| Family | Crangonyctidae |
| Genus | Crangonyx |
| Species | Crangonyx hobbsi Shoemaker, 1941 |
Description
Diagnostic characters
- Ecological class
- Stygobiont
- Realm
- Aquatic
- Troglomorphy
- Troglomorphic
Distribution
Range
Known from 16 counties in Florida in the Florida Lime Sinks karst region.
Continent
North America
Country
United States
States and provinces
Florida
Counties
- Florida
- Alachua, Citrus, Columbia, Cypress, Dade, Gilchrist, Hernando, Leon, Levy, Madison, Marion, Orange, Pasco, Pinellas, Suwannee, Wakulla
Karst regions
Florida Lime Sinks
Genetics
Molecular resources
| Marker | Molecule | Sequences | Length | Exemplar |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 28S | nuclear | 95 | 294-857 bp | MT470804.1 |
| 18S | nuclear | 50 | 325-1760 bp | PQ522382.1 |
| COI | mitochondrial | 1 | 487-487 bp | PQ510726.1 |
146 sequences, retrieved 23 August 2026. Counts change as sequences are deposited. Search GenBank.
Download all 146 sequence records (CSV) Accession, marker, molecule type, length, GenBank definition and a direct link.
Specimens
Type material
- Paratype
- USNM 109623 · National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution
- Type
- USNM 79362 · National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution
Collections holding material
| Institution | Lots |
|---|---|
| National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution | 62 |
| Florida Museum of Natural History | 7 |
| Yale Peabody Museum | 5 |
| North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences | 3 |
| American Museum of Natural History | 2 |
| Canadian Museum of Nature | 1 |
80 cataloged lots in 6 collections. Compiled from GBIF and not an exhaustive census: many collections are not yet digitised, and holdings are added continually. Search GBIF for specimen records.
Download all 80 specimen records (CSV) Institution, catalog number, type status and preparation. No coordinates.
Conservation and management
IUCN Red List
VU Vulnerable D2
Assessed in 1996.
NatureServe
G2G3 Imperiled to Vulnerable
Global rank last reviewed 19 May 2026.
Subnational ranks
- Florida
- S2S3 Imperiled to Vulnerable
Ranks looked up 23 August 2026. Conservation status changes, and a rank here is as current as that date and no more.
State and federal status
Not listed under the U.S. Endangered Species Act.
Other resources
References
- Bousfield, E.L. 1963. New fresh-water amphipod crustaceans from Florida. Natural History Papers of the National Museum of Canada 18: 1–9.
- Cannizzaro, A.G., Balding, D., Lazo-Wasem, E.A. & Sawicki, T.R. 2019a. Morphological and molecular analyses reveal a new species of stygobitic amphipod in the genus Crangonyx (Crustacea: Crangonyctidae) from Jackson County, Florida, with a redescription of Crangonyx floridanus and notes on its taxonomy and biogeography. Journal of Natural History 53: 425–473. doi:10.1080/00222933.2019.1584341
- Cannizzaro, A.G., Balding, D., Lazo-Wasem, E.A. & Sawicki, T.R. 2020. A new species rises from beneath Florida: molecular phylogenetic analyses reveal cryptic diversity among the metapopulation of Crangonyx hobbsi Shoemaker, 1941 (Amphipoda: Crangonyctidae). Organisms Diversity & Evolution 20: 387–404. doi:10.1007/s13127-020-00433-4
- Chace & F.A. Jr. 1954. Two new subterranean shrimps (Decapoda: Caridea) from Florida and the West Indies, with a revised key to the American species. Journal of the Washington Academy of Sciences 44: 318–324. https://www.jstor.org/stable/24533251. details
- Cooper, J.E. 1975. Ecological and behavioral studies in Shelta Cave, Alabama, with emphasis on decapod crustaceans. University of Kentucky, Lexington, Kentucky, USA. 364 pp.
- Culver, D.C. & Hobbs, III, H.H. 2002. Patterns of species richness in the Florida stygobitic fauna. Hydrogeology and Biology of Post-Palaeozoic Carbonate Aquifers. Proceedings of the Symposium Karst Frontiers: Florida and Related Environments: 60–63. https://karstwaters.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/SP7-Florida-PostPaleozoic-carbonate-aquifers.pdf. details
- Doonan, T.J. 2001. Survey of Squirrel Chimney and other selected caves to determine the status of Squirrel Chimney Cave Shrimp (Palaemonetes cummingi). Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, Tallahassee, Florida, USA. 44 pp.
- Franz, R. 1992h. Miami Cave Crayfish Procambarus (Leconticambarus) milleri Hobbs. In: Deyrup, M. & Franz, R. (eds), Rare and Endangered Biota of Florida. Volume IV. Invertebrates, pp. 189–191. University Press of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, USA.
- Franz, R. 1992o. Withlacoochee Light-Fleeing Cave Crayfish Procambarus (Ortmannicus) lucifugus lucifugus (Hobbs). In: Deyrup, M. & Franz, R. (eds), Rare and Endangered Biota of Florida. Volume IV. Invertebrates, pp. 203–205. University Press of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, USA.
- Franz, R. 1992n. Coastal Lowland Cave Crayfish Procambarus (Ortmannicus) leitheuseri Franz and Hobbs. In: Deyrup, M. & Franz, R. (eds), Rare and Endangered Biota of Florida. Volume IV. Invertebrates, pp. 201–202. University Press of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, USA.
- Franz, R. 1992k. Sante Fe Cave Crayfish Procambarus (Ortmannicus) erythrops Relyea and Sutton. In: Deyrup, M. & Franz, R. (eds), Rare and Endangered Biota of Florida. Volume IV. Invertebrates, pp. 195–197. University Press of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, USA.
- Franz, R. 1992l. Orange Lake Cave Crayfish Procambarus (Ortmannicus) franzi Hobbs and Lee. In: Deyrup, M. & Franz, R. (eds), Rare and Endangered Biota of Florida. Volume IV. Invertebrates, pp. 197–198. University Press of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, USA.
- Franz, R. 1992b. Hobbs Cave Amphipod Crangonyx hobbsi Shoemaker. In: Deyrup, M. & Franz, R. (eds), Rare and Endangered Biota of Florida. Volume IV. Invertebrates, pp. 170–171. University Press of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, USA.
- Franz, R., Bauer, J. & Morris, T. 1994. Review of biologically significant caves and their faunas in Florida and south Georgia. Brimleyana 20: 1–109. https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/part/229726. details
- Hobbs & H.H. Jr. 1942b. The Crayfishes of Florida. University of Florida Biological Science Series Volume 3, Issue 2, Gainesville, Florida, USA. 179 pp.
- Hubricht, L. 1943. Studies in the Nearctic freshwater amphipods, III. Notes on the freshwater Amphipoda of eastern United States, with descriptions of ten new species. The American Midland Naturalist 29: 683–712. doi:10.2307/2421157
- Morris, T.L. 2006. A biological inventory of aquifer caves in Florida with special emphasis on troglobitic crustaceans and salamanders. Final report S0057 to Florida Department of Environmental Regulation. Karst Environmental Services, Inc., High Springs, Florida, USA. 44 pp.
- Morris, T. & Butt, P.L. 1992. A survey of the population of the Florida cave shrimp (Palaemonetes cummingi), other species, and the condition of the environment within the Squirrel Chimney Cave system, Alachua County, Florida. Report prepared for U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. Karst Environmental Services, Inc., High Springs, Florida, USA. 10 pp.
- Morris, T. & Butt, P.L. 1994. A re-survey of the population of the Squirrel Chimney (Florida) cave shrimp (Palaemonetes cummingi), other species, and the condition of the environment within the Squirrel Chimney Cave system, Alachua County, Florida. Report prepared for Florida Game and Fresh Water Fish Commission. Karst Environmental Services, Inc., High Springs, Florida, USA. 12 pp.
- Nicholas, G. 1960. Checklist of macroscopic troglobitic organisms of the United States. The American Midland Naturalist 64: 123–160. doi:10.2307/2422897
- Poucher, S. 2011. A Field Guide to the Critters of Florida's Springs. National Speleological Society, Huntsville, Alabama, USA. 124 pp. ISBN 978–1-879961–42–5.
- Poucher, S. 2022. Wildlife of Florida's Springs. An Illustrated Guide to over 150 Species. Pineapple Press, Palm Beach, Florida, USA. 196 pp. ISBN 9780000000000.
- Relyea, K. & Sutton, B. 1973a. Ecological data for a Florida troglobitic crayfish. Florida Scientist 36: 234–235. https://www.jstor.org/stable/24319474. details
- Sawicki, T. 2013. Morphological and molecular analysis of Crangonyx grandimanus and C. hobbsi (Amphipoda) as factors for the study of the biological interconnectedness of caves within the Floridan Aquifer. North Florida Springs Alliance News 2: 5–6. https://floridadiveconnection.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/NFSA-Newsletter-vol-2-No-2.pdf. details
- Shoemaker, C.R. 1941. A new subterranean amphipod of the genus Crangonyx from Florida. The Charleston Museum Leaflet 16: 9–14.
- Walsh, S.J. 2001. Freshwater macrofauna of Florida karst habitats. Proceedings of the 2001 U.S. Geological Survey Karst Interest Group, USGS Water-Resources Investigations Report 01–4011: 78–88. https://digitalcommons.usf.edu/kip_talks/101/. details
- Warren, R.D. 1961. The obligate cavernicoles of Florida. Special Papers of the Florida Speleological Society 1: 1–10.
- Zhang, J. & Holsinger, J.R. 2003. Systematics of the freshwater amphipod genus Crangonyx (Crangonyctidae) in North America. Virginia Museum of Natural History Memior 6: 1–274.
This account was last revised 28 August 2026. Conservation ranks were looked up 23 August 2026.
How to cite this account
Crangonyx hobbsi Shoemaker, 1941. Cave Biology Data Portal, account SP-0961. https://cavebiology.org/species/crangonyx-hobbsi/ (accessed 18 October 2026).
Data sources and funding are listed in the Acknowledgments.
Spotted something wrong on this page? Report a correction. Accounts are compiled from many sources and corrections from people who know the group are the most useful email we get.