The Aeglidae are a
family of
freshwater
Fresh water or freshwater is any naturally occurring liquid or frozen water containing low concentrations of dissolved salts and other total dissolved solids. Although the term specifically excludes seawater and brackish water, it does include ...
crustaceans currently restricted to
South America. They are the only
anomurans to be found in fresh water except for a single
hermit crab species, ''
Clibanarius fonticola
''Clibanarius fonticola'' is the only species of hermit crab in the world that lives in fresh water. It is found on the island of Espiritu Santo, Vanuatu. While a number of other hermit crabs are terrestrial animal, terrestrial or live in estuar ...
'', on
Espiritu Santo,
Vanuatu. They live between
20° S and
50° S, at altitudes between .
Description
Aeglids resemble
squat lobsters in that the
abdomen is partly tucked under the
thorax. The notable
sexual dimorphism in the abdomen is related to the behaviour of carrying fertilised eggs on the
pleopod
The decapod ( crustaceans such as a crab, lobster, shrimp or prawn) is made up of 20 body segments grouped into two main body parts: the cephalothorax and the pleon (abdomen). Each segment may possess one pair of appendages, although in various ...
s. The
carapace
A carapace is a Dorsum (biology), dorsal (upper) section of the exoskeleton or shell in a number of animal groups, including arthropods, such as crustaceans and arachnids, as well as vertebrates, such as turtles and tortoises. In turtles and tor ...
length of the largest species may approach , but most are considerably smaller.
Aeglids are
omnivorous, preferring plant matter, but also eating adult
insects,
molluscs,
fish and fly
larvae.
The internal anatomy has been described for ''Aegla cholchol'' and generally resembles that of other anomurans, particularly
galatheoid squat lobsters. The
morphology of the antennal gland bladder differs from that in other anomurans in having a twisted tubular structure which was interpreted as an adaption to the freshwater lifestyle.
Life cycle
Mating is preceded by a period of
courtship, and does not coincide with
moulting
In biology, moulting (British English), or molting (American English), also known as sloughing, shedding, or in many invertebrates, ecdysis, is the manner in which an animal routinely casts off a part of its body (often, but not always, an outer ...
, as it does in many other
decapods. The
eggs of aeglids hatch as
juveniles which closely resemble the adults. They are cared for by their parents and live at the bottom of the body of water.
Extant taxa
''Aegla'', the only
extant
Extant is the opposite of the word extinct. It may refer to:
* Extant hereditary titles
* Extant literature, surviving literature, such as ''Beowulf'', the oldest extant manuscript written in English
* Extant taxon, a taxon which is not extinct, ...
genus in the family, contains around 74 described extant species.
Of the 63 species and subspecies described by 2008, two are found in lakes, four in
caves, and the remaining 57 are found mainly in rivers.
42 species are found in
Brazil, all restricted to the country's
southern
Southern may refer to:
Businesses
* China Southern Airlines, airline based in Guangzhou, China
* Southern Airways, defunct US airline
* Southern Air, air cargo transportation company based in Norwalk, Connecticut, US
* Southern Airways Express, M ...
and
southeastern
The points of the compass are a set of horizontal, radially arrayed compass directions (or azimuths) used in navigation and cartography. A compass rose is primarily composed of four cardinal directions—north, east, south, and west—each se ...
regions (
Rio Grande do Sul
Rio Grande do Sul (, , ; "Great River of the South") is a Federative units of Brazil, state in the South Region, Brazil, southern region of Brazil. It is the Federative_units_of_Brazil#List, fifth-most-populous state and the List of Brazilian st ...
alone is home to 24).
Other countries with species are
Argentina,
Bolivia
, image_flag = Bandera de Bolivia (Estado).svg
, flag_alt = Horizontal tricolor (red, yellow, and green from top to bottom) with the coat of arms of Bolivia in the center
, flag_alt2 = 7 × 7 square p ...
,
Chile,
Paraguay and
Uruguay.
More than a third of the species are considered
threatened,
and in Brazil alone 26 species are officially recognized as threatened, including 8
critically endangered.
Species
This list contains all the described species :
*''
Aegla abtao''
Schmitt, 1942
*''
Aegla affinis''
Schmitt, 1942
*''
Aegla alacalufi''
Jara & López, 1981
*''
Aegla araucaniensis
The Aeglidae are a family of freshwater crustaceans currently restricted to South America. They are the only anomurans to be found in fresh water except for a single hermit crab species, ''Clibanarius fonticola'', on Espiritu Santo, Vanuat ...
''
Jara, 1980
*''
Aegla bahamondei''
Jara, 1982
*''
Aegla brevipalma
The Aeglidae are a family of freshwater crustaceans currently restricted to South America. They are the only anomurans to be found in fresh water except for a single hermit crab species, ''Clibanarius fonticola'', on Espiritu Santo, Vanuat ...
''
Bond-Buckup & Santos ''in'' Santos ''et al.'', 2012
*''
Aegla camargoi''
Buckup & Rossi, 1977
*''
Aegla castro''
Schmitt, 1942
*''
Aegla cavernicola''
Türkay, 1972
*''
Aegla cholchol
The Aeglidae are a family of freshwater crustaceans currently restricted to South America. They are the only anomurans to be found in fresh water except for a single hermit crab species, ''Clibanarius fonticola'', on Espiritu Santo, Vanuat ...
''
Jara & Palacios, 1999
*''
Aegla concepcionensis
The Aeglidae are a family of freshwater crustaceans currently restricted to South America. They are the only anomurans to be found in fresh water except for a single hermit crab species, ''Clibanarius fonticola'', on Espiritu Santo, Vanuat ...
''
Schmitt, 1942
*''
Aegla denticulata
The Aeglidae are a family of freshwater crustaceans currently restricted to South America. They are the only anomurans to be found in fresh water except for a single hermit crab species, ''Clibanarius fonticola'', on Espiritu Santo, Vanuat ...
''
Nicolet, 1849
*''
Aegla expansa''
Jara, 1992
*''
Aegla franca''
Schmitt, 1942
*''
Aegla franciscana''
Buckup & Rossi, 1977
*''
Aegla georginae
The Aeglidae are a family of freshwater crustaceans currently restricted to South America. They are the only anomurans to be found in fresh water except for a single hermit crab species, ''Clibanarius fonticola'', on Espiritu Santo, Vanuat ...
''
Santos & Jara ''in'' Santos ''et al.'', 2013
*''
Aegla grisella''
Bond-Buckup & Buckup, 1994
*''
Aegla hueicollensis
The Aeglidae are a family of freshwater crustaceans currently restricted to South America. They are the only anomurans to be found in fresh water except for a single hermit crab species, ''Clibanarius fonticola'', on Espiritu Santo, Vanuat ...
''
Jara & Palacios, 1999
*''
Aegla humahuaca
The Aeglidae are a family of freshwater crustaceans currently restricted to South America. They are the only anomurans to be found in fresh water except for a single hermit crab species, '' Clibanarius fonticola'', on Espiritu Santo, Vanuatu. Th ...
''
Schmitt, 1942
*''
Aegla inconspicua''
Bond-Buckup & Buckup, 1994
*''
Aegla inermis
The Aeglidae are a family of freshwater crustaceans currently restricted to South America. They are the only anomurans to be found in fresh water except for a single hermit crab species, ''Clibanarius fonticola'', on Espiritu Santo, Vanuat ...
''
Bond-Buckup & Buckup, 1994
*''
Aegla intercalata''
Bond-Buckup & Buckup, 1994
*''
Aegla intermedia''
Girard, 1855
*''
Aegla itacolomiensis
The Aeglidae are a family of freshwater crustaceans currently restricted to South America. They are the only anomurans to be found in fresh water except for a single hermit crab species, ''Clibanarius fonticola'', on Espiritu Santo, Vanuat ...
''
Bond-Buckup & Buckup, 1994
*''
Aegla jarai
The Aeglidae are a family of freshwater crustaceans currently restricted to South America. They are the only anomurans to be found in fresh water except for a single hermit crab species, ''Clibanarius fonticola'', on Espiritu Santo, Vanuat ...
''
Bond-Buckup & Buckup, 1994
*''
Aegla jujuyana''
Schmitt, 1942
*''
Aegla laevis''
(Latreille, 1818)
*''
Aegla lata''
Bond-Buckup & Buckup, 1994
*''
Aegla leachi
The Aeglidae are a family of freshwater crustaceans currently restricted to South America. They are the only anomurans to be found in fresh water except for a single hermit crab species, ''Clibanarius fonticola'', on Espiritu Santo, Vanuat ...
''
Bond-Buckup & Buckup ''in'' Santos ''et al.'', 2012
*''
Aegla leptochela''
Bond-Buckup & Buckup, 1994
*''
Aegla leptodactyla
The Aeglidae are a family of freshwater crustaceans currently restricted to South America. They are the only anomurans to be found in fresh water except for a single hermit crab species, ''Clibanarius fonticola'', on Espiritu Santo, Vanuat ...
''
Buckup & Rossi, 1977
*''
Aegla ligulata''
Bond-Buckup & Buckup, 1994
*''
Aegla longirostri''
Bond-Buckup & Buckup, 1994
*''
Aegla ludwigi''
Santos & Jara ''in'' Santos ''et al.'', 2013
*''
Aegla manni''
Jara, 1980
*''
Aegla marginata''
Bond-Buckup & Buckup, 1994
*''
Aegla manuniflata''
Bond-Buckup & Santos ''in'' Santos ''et al.'', 2009
*''
Aegla microphthalma
The Aeglidae are a family of freshwater crustaceans currently restricted to South America. They are the only anomurans to be found in fresh water except for a single hermit crab species, ''Clibanarius fonticola'', on Espiritu Santo, Vanuat ...
''
Bond-Buckup & Buckup, 1994
*''
Aegla muelleri
The Aeglidae are a family of freshwater crustaceans currently restricted to South America. They are the only anomurans to be found in fresh water except for a single hermit crab species, ''Clibanarius fonticola'', on Espiritu Santo, Vanuat ...
''
Bond-Buckup & Buckup ''in'' Bond-Buckup ''et al.'', 2010
*''
Aegla neuquensis''
Schmitt, 1942
*''
Aegla oblata
The Aeglidae are a family of freshwater crustaceans currently restricted to South America. They are the only anomurans to be found in fresh water except for a single hermit crab species, ''Clibanarius fonticola'', on Espiritu Santo, Vanuat ...
''
Bond-Buckup & Santos ''in'' Santos ''et al.'', 2012
*''
Aegla obstipa''
Bond-Buckup & Buckup, 1994
*''
Aegla occidentalis''
Jara, Pérez-Losada & Crandall
Crandall is an English surname. It is likely a geographic feature name deriving from the Anglo-Saxon, "crundel," meaning hollow, ravine, or water-course.
Notable people with the surname
*Bradley Crandall (1927–1991), radio personality, US
* B ...
, 2003
*''
Aegla odebrechtii''
Müller, 1876
*''
Aegla papudo
The Aeglidae are a family of freshwater crustaceans currently restricted to South America. They are the only anomurans to be found in fresh water except for a single hermit crab species, ''Clibanarius fonticola'', on Espiritu Santo, Vanuat ...
''
Schmitt, 1942
*''
Aegla parana
The Aeglidae are a family of freshwater crustaceans currently restricted to South America. They are the only anomurans to be found in fresh water except for a single hermit crab species, ''Clibanarius fonticola'', on Espiritu Santo, Vanuat ...
''
Schmitt, 1942
*''
Aegla parva''
Bond-Buckup & Buckup, 1994
*''
Aegla paulensis''
Schmitt, 1942
*''
Aegla perobae''
Hebling & Rodrigues, 1977
*''
Aegla pewenchae''
Jara, 1994
*''
Aegla plana
The Aeglidae are a family of freshwater crustaceans currently restricted to South America. They are the only anomurans to be found in fresh water except for a single hermit crab species, ''Clibanarius fonticola'', on Espiritu Santo, Vanuat ...
''
Buckup & Rossi, 1977
*''
Aegla platensis''
Schmitt, 1942
*''
Aegla pomerana''
Bond-Buckup & Buckup ''in'' Bond-Buckup ''et al.'', 2010
*''
Aegla prado
The Aeglidae are a family of freshwater crustaceans currently restricted to South America. They are the only anomurans to be found in fresh water except for a single hermit crab species, ''Clibanarius fonticola'', on Espiritu Santo, Vanuat ...
''
Schmitt, 1942
*''
Aegla renana''
Bond-Buckup & Santos ''in'' Santos ''et al.'', 2010
*''
Aegla ringueleti''
Bond-Buckup & Buckup, 1994
*''
Aegla riolimayana''
Schmitt, 1942
*''
Aegla rossiana
The Aeglidae are a family of freshwater crustaceans currently restricted to South America. They are the only anomurans to be found in fresh water except for a single hermit crab species, ''Clibanarius fonticola'', on Espiritu Santo, Vanuat ...
''
Bond-Buckup & Buckup, 1994
*''
Aegla rostrata''
Jara, 1977
*''
Aegla saltensis''
Bond-Buckup & Jara ''in'' Bond-Buckup ''et al.'', 2010
*''
Aegla sanlorenzo''
Schmitt, 1942
*''
Aegla scamosa
The Aeglidae are a family of freshwater crustaceans currently restricted to South America. They are the only anomurans to be found in fresh water except for a single hermit crab species, ''Clibanarius fonticola'', on Espiritu Santo, Vanuat ...
''
Ringuelet, 1948
*''
Aegla schmitti''
Hobbs III, 1979
*''
Aegla septentrionalis''
Bond-Buckup & Buckup, 1994
*''
Aegla serrana''
Buckup & Rossi, 1977
*''
Aegla singularis''
Ringuelet, 1948
*''
Aegla spectabilis''
Jara, 1986
*''
Aegla spinipalma''
Bond-Buckup & Buckup, 1994
*''
Aegla spinosa''
Bond-Buckup & Buckup, 1994
*''
Aegla strinatii''
Türkay, 1972
*''
Aegla talcahuano''
Schmitt, 1942
*''
Aegla uruguayana''
Schmitt, 1942
*''
Aegla violacea
The Aeglidae are a family of freshwater crustaceans currently restricted to South America. They are the only anomurans to be found in fresh water except for a single hermit crab species, ''Clibanarius fonticola'', on Espiritu Santo, Vanuat ...
''
Bond-Buckup & Buckup, 1994
Fossil taxa
''Haumuriaegla''
''Haumuriaegla glaessneri'' is a
species known only from fossils of
Haumurian age (
Late Cretaceous) found near
Cheviot, New Zealand
Cheviot () is a town in the Hurunui District of north Canterbury, on the east coast of the South Island of New Zealand. It is located on State Highway 1, approximately north of Christchurch and south of Kaikōura.
History and naming
The govern ...
. At the time of its discovery, ''Haumuriaegla'' was the only known fossil from the family and the only marine member.
''Protaegla''
''Protaegla miniscula'' was discovered in rocks of
Albian age from the
Tlayúa Formation
The Tlayúa Formation is an Early Cretaceous (late Albian) geological formation near Tepexi de Rodríguez (municipality), Tepexi de Rodríguez, Puebla.
Paleobiota
The formation contains a diverse array of vertebrate and invertebrate fossils. Ab ...
, near
Tepexi de Rodríguez,
Mexico.
Evolution
The family as a whole is thought to have originated around 75 million years ago in a marine environment,
and then entered South America from the
Pacific side during the
Oligocene
The Oligocene ( ) is a geologic epoch of the Paleogene Period and extends from about 33.9 million to 23 million years before the present ( to ). As with other older geologic periods, the rock beds that define the epoch are well identified but the ...
.
References
External links
*
{{Taxonbar, from=Q4687643
Anomura
Freshwater crustaceans of South America
Extant Albian first appearances
Decapod families
Taxa named by James Dwight Dana