''Caprella penantis'' is a

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...

skeleton shrimp Caprellidae is a family of amphipods commonly known as skeleton shrimps. Their common name denotes the threadlike slender body which allows them to virtually disappear among the fine filaments of seaweed, hydroids and bryozoans. They are sometim ...

in the

family Family (from la, familia) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its ...

Caprellidae Caprellidae is a family of amphipods commonly known as skeleton shrimps. Their common name denotes the threadlike slender body which allows them to virtually disappear among the fine filaments of seaweed, hydroids and bryozoans. They are sometime ...

. It lives on the seabed in shallow water in many parts of the world. This species was first described in 1814 by the English zoologist

William Elford Leach William Elford Leach Royal Society, FRS (2 February 1791 – 25 August 1836) was an English zoologist and marine biologist. Life and work Elford Leach was born at Hoe Gate, Plymouth, the son of an attorney. At the age of twelve he began a me ...

who named it ''Caprella penantis'' in honour of the Welsh naturalist

Thomas Pennant Thomas Pennant (14 June Old Style, OS 172616 December 1798) was a Welsh natural history, naturalist, traveller, writer and antiquarian. He was born and lived his whole life at his family estate, Downing Hall near Whitford, Flintshire, in Wales ...

. The type locality is

Devon Devon ( , historically known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South West England. The most populous settlement in Devon is the city of Plymouth, followed by Devon's county town, the city of Exeter. Devon is ...

, England.

Description

Like other caprellid skeleton shrimps, ''Caprella penantis'' has a cylindrical, slender body with much reduced abdominal segments. It grows to a length of about . The

gnathopod An appendage (or outgrowth) is an external body part, or natural prolongation, that protrudes from an organism's body. In arthropods, an appendage refers to any of the homologous body parts that may extend from a body segment, including anten ...

s (feeding appendages) are hooked and the three pairs of

pereiopod 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 g ...

s (walking legs) are modified for clinging on to the plants and other organisms amongst which it lives. Compared to other caprellids in similar habitats, it has a small, sharply-pointed

rostrum Rostrum may refer to: * Any kind of a platform for a speaker: **dais **pulpit * Rostrum (anatomy), a beak, or anatomical structure resembling a beak, as in the mouthparts of many sucking insects * Rostrum (ship), a form of bow on naval ships * Ros ...

on its head and a relatively robust body. While generally drab in colour, this skeleton shrimp may take on some of the coloration of whatever it is feeding on.

Distribution

''Caprella penantis'' has a

cosmopolitan distribution In biogeography, cosmopolitan distribution is the term for the range of a taxon that extends across all or most of the world in appropriate habitats. Such a taxon, usually a species, is said to exhibit cosmopolitanism or cosmopolitism. The ext ...

, being present in tropical, subtropical and temperate seas worldwide. It lives on the seabed among sea grasses and seaweeds, and is often associated with the sea whip ''

Leptogorgia virgulata ''Leptogorgia virgulata'', commonly known as the sea whip or colorful sea whip, is a species of Alcyonacea, soft coral in the Family (biology), family Gorgoniidae.

'' in beds of turtlegrass.

Ecology

The sexes are separate in this species. Breeding takes place throughout the year; the male grasps the female with his hindmost pereiopod, and defends her from other males. The female produces several batches of about twenty eggs during her reproductive lifespan. The eggs are laid directly into a marsupium (brood pouch) under the female's body; the larvae do not have a

plankton Plankton are the diverse collection of organisms found in Hydrosphere, water (or atmosphere, air) that are unable to propel themselves against a Ocean current, current (or wind). The individual organisms constituting plankton are called plankt ...

ic phase but develop directly into juveniles which disperse by crawling away.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q4484935 Corophiida Crustaceans described in 1814