ABSTRACT
It is difficult to reconcile geological data on the age of Caribbean islands (for biogeographic purposes understood here as the time elapsed since their emergence above sea-level), with the supposed Mesozoic age of a vicariant origin, through fragmentation of a proto-Antillean archipelago. The Lesser Antilles in particular seem to be much younger. Several conflicting biogeographic examples are discussed. A possible method of dating Caribbean islands by means of species/area curves for stygobiont Malacostraca is pointed out.
