are considered adulthood. Uses Hyalella azteca are used in various aquatic bioassays (also called toxicity tests). Because of their wide distribution, ease of captive reproduction, and its niche in lake sediments, Hyalella azteca are used in aquatic toxicology assays in sediments Hyalella azteca have been used to test bioaccumulation of different contaminants such as manufactured nanomaterials , pesticides , and metals . Taxonomic history Hyalella azteca was first described by Henri Louis Frédéric de Saussure in 1858, under the name Amphitoe aztecus, based on material collected by Aztecs from a "cistern" near Veracruz, Mexico. It has also been described under several junior synonyms, including: Hyalella dentata S. I. Smith, 1874 Hyalella fluvialis Lockington, 1877 Hyalella inermis S. I. Smith, 1875 Hyalella knickerbockeri Bate, 1862 Hyalella ornata Pearse, 1911 When Sidney Irving Smith erected the genus Hyalella in 1874, H. azteca was the only included species, and therefore the type species. The genus now includes dozens of species, mostly in South America. H. azteca is now thought to represent a species complex, since there is little gene flow between populations, and different morphotypes are known to coexist in some areas. Two local populations have been described as separate species – Hyalella texana from the Edwards Plateau of Texas, and Hyalella montezuma from Montezuma Well, Arizona. In addition to being a species complex, laboratory work sequencing and analyzing the genome of lab populations of Hyalella azteca revealed Hyalella azteca shares characteristics of other model organisms. [8]. How these crustaceans interact with contaminants can provide insight about how other species will interact with those same contaminants. Genome Sequencing Project There is an ongoing Hyalella azteca genome sequencing project. This is part of a larger project being led by the Baylor college of Medicine Human Genome Sequencing Center (BCM-HGSC) ; in which 28 arthropod genomes are being sequenced. The sequencing of these genomes serves as a beginning to the larger i5k initiative, which has an end goal of sequencing 5,000 Arthropoda. Scientists looking to contribute to this research are able to nominate species to sequence, and download and share data to i5k website. Data can also be submitted to the Global Genome biodiversity workshop Biodiversity Repository. References 1] "Aquatic Invertebrates: Amphipods". The Nature of the Rideau River. Canadian Museum of Nature. May 18, 2007. Retrieved October 5, 2010. [2] Mark D. Sytsma; Jeffery R. Cordell; John W. Chapman; Robyn C. Draheim (October 2004). "Final