''Mysis'' is a genus of mysid crustaceans in the family

Mysidae Mysidae is the largest family (biology), family of crustaceans in the order (biology), order Mysida, with over 1000 species in around 170 genera. Characteristics Members of the family Mysidae are distinguished from other mysids by the fact that ...

, distributed mainly in the coastal zone of the Arctic and high

boreal Boreal may refer to: Climatology and geography *Boreal (age), the first climatic phase of the Blytt-Sernander sequence of northern Europe, during the Holocene epoch *Boreal climate, a climate characterized by long winters and short, cool to mild ...

seas. Several species also inhabit northern freshwater lakes and the brackish Caspian Sea. Fifteen species are recognized. Body lengths range from . The freshwater taxa of the genus have been referred to as " glacial relicts", and they comprise four closely related species, most of which also live in brackish water. ''

Mysis relicta ''Mysis relicta'' is a shrimp-like crustacean in the Mysida order, native to lakes of Northern Europe and to the brackish Baltic Sea. Appearance Mysis is a small, transparent shrimp-like crustacean, of less than 2.5 cm length. It has two ...

'' is a freshwater species from boreal lakes of

Northern Europe The northern region of Europe has several definitions. A restrictive definition may describe Northern Europe as being roughly north of the southern coast of the Baltic Sea, which is about 54th parallel north, 54°N, or may be based on other g ...

, also present in the Baltic Sea. ''Mysis salemaai'' is another North European and Baltic Sea taxon. ''Mysis segerstralei'' is a fresh- and brackish-water species of the Eurasian and North American Arctic and sub-Arctic. The North American lakes, including the Great Lakes, are inhabited by ''

Mysis diluviana ''Mysis diluviana'' is a mysid crustacean (opossum shrimp) found in freshwater lakes of northern North America. Appearance ''Mysis'' is a small, transparent shrimp-like crustacean, less than in length. It has two pairs of relatively long anten ...

''. Various species of Mysis are found in lakes of the

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, like Lake Sommen, that were never connected to the sea or the

Baltic Ice Lake The Baltic Ice Lake is a name given by geologists to a freshwater lake that evolved in the Baltic Sea basin as glaciers retreated from that region at the end of the last ice age. The lake existed between 12,600 and 10,300 years Before Present ...

. This have led to theories that claim a natural lock system existed in the area during the Younger Dryas. Four endemic species inhabit the Caspian Sea. They have specialized and adapted to the cold, deepwater habitats of the landlocked basin. For example, the bathyal ''M. amblyops'', the smallest mysid in the genus, has reduced eyes. Four species also have circum-arctic distributions (''M. oculata'', ''M. nordenskioldi'', ''M. segerstralei'', ''M. polaris''). Generic characters: frontal margin of

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 ...

convex, angular; antennal scale with setae around all margins, segment 2 of maxilla 2 palp large, axe-shaped, with strong serrated spine-setae; pereiopods long, carpopropodus 7–9-segmented; male pleopod 4 5-segmented, segment 4 as long as segment 3; telson with cleft.

Species

*'' Mysis amblyops'' G. O. Sars, 1907 *'' Mysis caspia'' G. O. Sars, 1895 *''

'' Audzijonytė & Väinölä, 2005 *'' Mysis gaspensis'' O. Tattersall, 1954 *'' Mysis litoralis'' (Banner, 1948) *'' Mysis macrolepis'' G. O. Sars, 1907 *'' Mysis microphthalma'' G. O. Sars, 1895 *'' Mysis mixta'' Lilljeborg, 1853 *'' Mysis nordenskioldi'' Audzijonytė & Väinölä, 2007 *''

Mysis oculata ''Mysis'' is a genus of mysid crustaceans in the family Mysidae, distributed mainly in the coastal zone of the Arctic and high boreal seas. Several species also inhabit northern freshwater lakes and the brackish Caspian Sea. Fifteen species are ...

'' (Fabricius, 1780) *'' Mysis polaris'' Holmquist, 1859) *''

'' Lovén, 1862 *''

Mysis salemaai ''Mysis salemaai'' is a shrimp-like crustacean in the Mysida order, inhabiting lakes of Ireland and South Scandinavia and brackish waters of the northern Baltic Sea. Appearance ''Mysis salemaai'' is a transparent shrimp-like crustacean, of ...

'' Audzijonytė & Väinölä, 2005 *''

Mysis segerstralei ''Mysis'' is a genus of mysid crustaceans in the family Mysidae, distributed mainly in the coastal zone of the Arctic and high boreal seas. Several species also inhabit northern freshwater lakes and the brackish Caspian Sea. Fifteen species ar ...

'' Audzijonytė & Väinölä, 2005 *'' Mysis stenolepis'' Smith, 1873

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q601140 Mysida