Subterranean Crustacean Fauna of India

Subterranean or ground water fauna comprises of 6 major groups, such as, Acarina, Crustacea (Copepoda, Bathynellacea (Syncarida), Amphipoda, Isopoda), Nematoda, Mollusca, Insecta (Plecoptera) and even Pisces, of which crustaceans constitute the major component. They are characterized by long life span with prolongation of developmental stages, elongated unpigmented bodies and without eyes. The metabolism of these organisms is reduced due to subterranean life and they have low reproductive rate in comparison to surface water organisms. The study of subterranean fauna is of recent origin. In the present communication, an inventory of subterranean crustacean fauna comprising of 80 species is collated and presented with locality data. A perusal of literature reveals that most of these organisms are reported from Andhra Pradesh (45), some species are recorded from Bihar (6), Kerala (6), Chhattisgarh (5), New Delhi (4), Odisha (3) and Meghalaya (2), while States like West Bengal, Jharkhand, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Goa and Andaman Islands represent one species each. More than 70% of these subterranean crustaceans are endemic to India. Hence care and conservation of these species from groundwater harvesting and various other anthropogenic stresses are needed.