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T hermosbaenaceans which, according to some authors, fit a separate superorder ( Pancarida) among the crustaceans, include 34 species, belonging to seven genera: Thermosbaena, Monodella, Tethysbaena, Tulumella, Limnosbaena, Halosbaena. Most genera and species show wide distribution well corresponding to the Miocene extent of the Tethyan Sea.
Some species live in freshwater hot springs, other ones are cave or phreatic waters dwellers, fewer are marine (coastal ground waters and macro-interstitia of coral rubble) or anchialine pools inhabitants. Thermosbaenaceans of Italy contain four species belonging to three genera, viz. Limnosbaena, Tethysbaena and Monodella. As other thermosbaenaceans, most probably they originated directly from marine shallow waters ancestors, according to the "Regression Model" by Stock (1977, 1980), their present distribution quite falling into the zone once covered by the coastlines of the Thetys sea.
A selected World bibliography on subterranean thermosbaenaceans can be found in: J.H.Stock(1984). Thermosbaenacea. Stygofauna Mundi: 585-588 and H.P. Wagner (1994). A monographic review of the Thermosbaenacea (Crustacea: Peracarida). Zool. Verhan, pp 338. See also: C.F.Boutin. 1996. Review of H.P.Wagner (1994). Crustaceana, 69 (6):801-804, and the Bibliography of the Italian Groundwater Fauna.
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