Leptestheriidae is a
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 ...
of
crustacean
Crustaceans (Crustacea, ) form a large, diverse arthropod taxon which includes such animals as decapods, seed shrimp, branchiopods, fish lice, krill, remipedes, isopods, barnacles, copepods, amphipods and mantis shrimp. The crustacean group ...
s in the order
Spinicaudata
Clam shrimp are a group of bivalved branchiopod crustaceans that resemble the unrelated bivalved molluscs. They are extant and also known from the fossil record, from at least the Devonian period and perhaps before. They were originally classifi ...
.
They are distinguished from the family
Cyzicidae
Cyzicidae is a family of crustaceans in the order Spinicaudata. They are distinguished from the family Leptestheriidae by the absence of a rostral spine. Some members of Cyzicidae are known to burrow through mud, leading to speculation that they ...
by the presence of a
rostral spine.
Members of Leptestheriidae are believed to graze on detritus.
The family contains five extant genera:
* ''
Eoleptestheria''
* ''
Leptestheria''
*: ''
Leptestheria compleximanus
''Leptestheria compleximanus'' is a species of North American clam shrimp known by the common name playa clam shrimp or spineynose clam shrimp.
Range
''Leptestheria compleximanus'' is found from the Great Plains region of the United States to ...
''
* ''
Leptestheriella''
* ''
Maghrebestheria''
* ''
Sewellestheria''
References
Spinicaudata
Crustacean families
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