The
clade
A clade (), also known as a monophyletic group or natural group, is a group of organisms that are monophyletic – that is, composed of a common ancestor and all its lineal descendants – on a phylogenetic tree. Rather than the English ter ...
Multicrustacea constitutes the largest
superclass of
crustacean
Crustaceans (Crustacea, ) form a large, diverse arthropod taxon which includes such animals as decapoda, decapods, ostracoda, seed shrimp, branchiopoda, branchiopods, argulidae, fish lice, krill, remipedes, isopoda, isopods, barnacles, copepods, ...
s, containing approximately four-fifths of all described crustacean species, including
crab
Crabs are decapod crustaceans of the infraorder Brachyura, which typically have a very short projecting "tail" (abdomen) ( el, βραχύς , translit=brachys = short, / = tail), usually hidden entirely under the thorax. They live in all th ...
s,
lobster
Lobsters are a family (Nephropidae, synonym Homaridae) of marine crustaceans. They have long bodies with muscular tails and live in crevices or burrows on the sea floor. Three of their five pairs of legs have claws, including the first pair, ...
s,
crayfish
Crayfish are freshwater crustaceans belonging to the clade Astacidea, which also contains lobsters. In some locations, they are also known as crawfish, craydids, crawdaddies, crawdads, freshwater lobsters, mountain lobsters, rock lobsters, m ...
,
shrimp
Shrimp are crustaceans (a form of shellfish) with elongated bodies and a primarily swimming mode of locomotion – most commonly Caridea and Dendrobranchiata of the decapod order, although some crustaceans outside of this order are ref ...
,
krill
Krill are small crustaceans of the order Euphausiacea, and are found in all the world's oceans. The name "krill" comes from the Norwegian word ', meaning "small fry of fish", which is also often attributed to species of fish.
Krill are consi ...
,
prawns
Prawn is a common name for small aquatic crustaceans with an exoskeleton and ten legs (which is a member of the order decapoda), some of which can be eaten.
The term "prawn"Mortenson, Philip B (2010''This is not a weasel: a close look at nature ...
,
woodlice
A woodlouse (plural woodlice) is an isopod crustacean from the polyphyleticThe current consensus is that Oniscidea is actually triphyletic suborder Oniscidea within the order Isopoda. They get their name from often being found in old wood ...
,
barnacle
A barnacle is a type of arthropod constituting the subclass Cirripedia in the subphylum Crustacea, and is hence related to crabs and lobsters. Barnacles are exclusively marine, and tend to live in shallow and tidal waters, typically in erosiv ...
s,
copepod
Copepods (; meaning "oar-feet") are a group of small crustaceans found in nearly every freshwater and saltwater habitat. Some species are planktonic (inhabiting sea waters), some are benthic (living on the ocean floor), a number of species have ...
s,
amphipods
Amphipoda is an order of malacostracan crustaceans with no carapace and generally with laterally compressed bodies. Amphipods range in size from and are mostly detritivores or scavengers. There are more than 9,900 amphipod species so far describ ...
,
mantis shrimp
Mantis shrimp, or stomatopods, are carnivorous marine crustaceans of the order Stomatopoda (). Stomatopods branched off from other members of the class Malacostraca around 340 million years ago. Mantis shrimp typically grow to around in length, ...
and others. The largest branch of multicrustacea is the
class
Class or The Class may refer to:
Common uses not otherwise categorized
* Class (biology), a taxonomic rank
* Class (knowledge representation), a collection of individuals or objects
* Class (philosophy), an analytical concept used differently ...
Malacostraca
Malacostraca (from New Latin; ) is the largest of the six classes of crustaceans, containing about 40,000 living species, divided among 16 orders. Its members, the malacostracans, display a great diversity of body forms and include crabs, lobs ...
(see below).
Classification
Superclass Multicrustacea
Regier, Shultz, Zwick, Hussey, Ball, Wetzer, Martin & Cunningham, 2010
* Family
Priscansermarinidae Newman, 2004
* Class
Copepoda
Copepods (; meaning "oar-feet") are a group of small crustaceans found in nearly every freshwater and saltwater habitat. Some species are planktonic (inhabiting sea waters), some are benthic (living on the ocean floor), a number of species have p ...
Milne-Edwards, 1840 - Copepods
** Infra-class
Neocopepoda Huys & Boxshall, 1991
*** Super-order
Gymnoplea Giesbrecht, 1882
**** Order
Calanoida
Calanoida is an order of copepods, a group of arthropods commonly found as zooplankton. The order includes around 46 families with about 1800 species of both marine and freshwater copepods between them.
Description
Calanoids can be distinguis ...
Sars GO, 1903
*** Super-order
Podoplea Giesbrecht, 1882
**** Order
Cyclopoida Burmeister, 1834
**** Order
Gelyelloida
''Gelyella'' is a genus of freshwater copepods which are "surrounded by mystery". They live in groundwater in karstic areas of southern France and western Switzerland. The two species are the only members of the family Gelyellidae and, although p ...
Huys, 1988
**** Order
Harpacticoida
Harpacticoida is an order of copepods, in the subphylum Crustacea. This order comprises 463 genera and about 3,000 species; its members are benthic copepods found throughout the world in the marine environment (most families) and in fresh water ( ...
G. O. Sars, 1903
**** Order
Misophrioida Gurney, 1933
**** Order
Monstrilloida Sars, 1901
**** Order
Mormonilloida Boxshall,1979
**** Order
Polyarthra Lang, 1944 (=
Canuelloida
Polyarthra is an order of copepods belonging to the class Copepoda.
Taxonomy
There are two families recognised in the order Polyarthra:
* Canuellidae
Canuellidae is a family of copepods
Copepods (; meaning "oar-feet") are a group of small c ...
Khodami, Vaun MacArthur, Blanco-Bercial & Martinez Arbizu, 2017 )
**** Order
Siphonostomatoida Thorell, 1859
** Infra-class
Progymnoplea Lang, 1948
*** Order
Platycopioida Fosshagen, 1985
* Class
Thecostraca
Thecostraca is a Class (biology), class of marine invertebrates containing over 2,200 described species. Many species have planktonic larvae which become Sessility (zoology), sessile or parasite, parasitic as adults.
The most important subgroup ...
Gruvel, 1905[
** Subclass ]Ascothoracida
Ascothoracida is a small group of crustaceans, comprising around 100 species. They are found throughout the world, and are parasites on cnidarians and echinoderms.
Ascothoracida was previously ranked as an order within the infraclass Cirripedia ...
Lacaze-Duthiers, 1880
*** Order Dendrogastrida
Dendrogastrida is an order of crustaceans belonging to the class Maxillopoda.
Families:
* Ascothoracidae
Ascothoracidae is a family of crustacean
Crustaceans (Crustacea, ) form a large, diverse arthropod taxon which includes such animals ...
Grygier, 1987
*** Order Laurida
Laurida is an order of crustacean in the infraclass Ascothoracida. It consists of the following families and genera:
* Lauridae
** ''Baccalaureus''
** '' Laura''
** '' Polymarsypus''
** '' Zoanthoecus''
* Petrarcidae
** '' Introcornia''
* ...
Grygier, 1987
** Subclass Cirripedia
A barnacle is a type of arthropod constituting the subclass Cirripedia in the subphylum Crustacea, and is hence related to crabs and lobsters. Barnacles are exclusively marine, and tend to live in shallow and tidal waters, typically in erosiv ...
Burmeister, 1834
*** Infraclass Acrothoracica
The Acrothoracica are an infraclass of barnacles.
Acrothoracicans bore into calcareous material such as mollusc shells, coral, crinoids or hardgrounds, producing a slit-like hole in the surface known by the trace fossil name ''Rogerella''. A ...
Gruvel, 1905
**** Order Cryptophialida Kolbasov, Newman & Hoeg, 2009
**** Order Lithoglyptida
Lithoglyptida is an order of barnacles in the class Thecostraca
Thecostraca is a class of marine invertebrates containing over 2,200 described species. Many species have planktonic larvae which become sessile or parasitic as adults.
The most ...
Kolbasov, Newman & Hoeg, 2009
*** Infraclass Rhizocephala
Rhizocephala are derived barnacles that parasitise mostly decapod crustaceans, but can also infest Peracarida, mantis shrimps and thoracican barnacles, and are found from the deep ocean to freshwater. Together with their sister groups Thoracic ...
Müller, 1862
*** Infraclass Thoracica Darwin, 1854
**** Superorder Phosphatothoracica Gale, 2019
***** Order Iblomorpha Buckeridge & Newman, 2006
***** Order Eolepadomorpha Chan et al., 2021
**** Superorder Thoracicalcarea Gale, 2015
***** Order Balanomorpha
The Balanomorpha are an order of barnacles, containing familiar acorn barnacles of the seashore. The order contains these families:
* Austrobalanidae Newman & Ross, 1976
* Balanidae Leach, 1817 (acorn barnacles)
* Bathylasmatidae Newman & Ro ...
Pilsbry, 1916
***** Order Calanticomorpha Chan et al., 2021
***** Order Pollicipedomorpha Chan et al., 2021
***** Order Scalpellomorpha Buckeridge & Newman, 2006
***** Order Verrucomorpha Pilsbry, 1916
***** Order Archaeolepadomorpha Chan et al., 2021
***** Order Brachylepadomorpha Withers, 1923
** Subclass Facetotecta
Facetotecta is a poorly known subclass of thecostracan crustaceans. The adult forms have never been recognised, and the group is known only from its larvae, the "y- nauplius" and "y- cyprid" larvae. They are mostly found in the north Atlantic Oc ...
Grygier, 1985
* Class Tantulocarida
Tantulocarida is a highly specialised group of parasitic crustaceans that consists of about 33 species, treated as a class in superclass Multicrustacea. They are typically ectoparasites that infest copepods, isopods, tanaids, amphipods and os ...
Boxshall & Lincoln, 1983
** Family Basipodellidae Boxshall & Lincoln, 1983
** Family Cumoniscidae Nierstrasz & Brender à Brandis, 1923 (= Deoterthridae Boxshall & Lincoln, 1987)
** Family Doryphallophoridae Huys, 1991
** Family Microdajidae Boxshall & Lincoln, 1987
** Family Onceroxenidae Huys, 1991
* Class Malacostraca
Malacostraca (from New Latin; ) is the largest of the six classes of crustaceans, containing about 40,000 living species, divided among 16 orders. Its members, the malacostracans, display a great diversity of body forms and include crabs, lobs ...
Latreille, 1802
** Subclass Eumalacostraca
Eumalacostraca is a subclass of crustaceans, containing almost all living malacostracans, or about 40,000 described species. The remaining subclasses are the Phyllocarida and possibly the Hoplocarida. Eumalacostracans have 19 segments (5 cephalic ...
Grobben, 1892
*** Superorder Eucarida Calman, 1904
**** Order Decapoda
The Decapoda or decapods (literally "ten-footed") are an order of crustaceans within the class Malacostraca, including many familiar groups, such as crabs, lobsters, crayfish, shrimp and prawns. Most decapods are scavengers. The order is estim ...
Latreille, 1802 - crab
Crabs are decapod crustaceans of the infraorder Brachyura, which typically have a very short projecting "tail" (abdomen) ( el, βραχύς , translit=brachys = short, / = tail), usually hidden entirely under the thorax. They live in all th ...
s, lobster
Lobsters are a family (Nephropidae, synonym Homaridae) of marine crustaceans. They have long bodies with muscular tails and live in crevices or burrows on the sea floor. Three of their five pairs of legs have claws, including the first pair, ...
s, crayfish
Crayfish are freshwater crustaceans belonging to the clade Astacidea, which also contains lobsters. In some locations, they are also known as crawfish, craydids, crawdaddies, crawdads, freshwater lobsters, mountain lobsters, rock lobsters, m ...
, shrimp
Shrimp are crustaceans (a form of shellfish) with elongated bodies and a primarily swimming mode of locomotion – most commonly Caridea and Dendrobranchiata of the decapod order, although some crustaceans outside of this order are ref ...
and prawns
Prawn is a common name for small aquatic crustaceans with an exoskeleton and ten legs (which is a member of the order decapoda), some of which can be eaten.
The term "prawn"Mortenson, Philip B (2010''This is not a weasel: a close look at nature ...
(includes former order Order Amphionidacea Williamson, 1973)
**** Order Euphausiacea Dana, 1852 - krill
Krill are small crustaceans of the order Euphausiacea, and are found in all the world's oceans. The name "krill" comes from the Norwegian word ', meaning "small fry of fish", which is also often attributed to species of fish.
Krill are consi ...
*** Superorder Peracarida
The superorder Peracarida is a large group of malacostracan crustaceans, having members in marine, freshwater, and terrestrial habitats. They are chiefly defined by the presence of a brood pouch, or ''marsupium'', formed from thin flattened plat ...
Calman, 1904
**** Order Amphipoda
Amphipoda is an order of malacostracan crustaceans with no carapace and generally with laterally compressed bodies. Amphipods range in size from and are mostly detritivores or scavengers. There are more than 9,900 amphipod species so far descri ...
Latreille, 1816 - amphipodes, gammares
**** Order Bochusacea Gutu & Iliffe, 1998
**** Order Cumacea
Cumacea is an order of small marine crustaceans of the superorder Peracarida, occasionally called hooded shrimp or comma shrimp. Their unique appearance and uniform body plan makes them easy to distinguish from other crustaceans. They live in so ...
Krøyer, 1846 - cumaceae
**** Order Ingolfiellida Hansen, 1903
**** Order Isopoda
Isopoda is an order of crustaceans that includes woodlice and their relatives. Isopods live in the sea, in fresh water, or on land. All have rigid, segmented exoskeletons, two pairs of antennae, seven pairs of jointed limbs on the thorax, and ...
Latreille, 1817 - isopods (including clover)
**** Order Lophogastrida
Lophogastrida is an order of malacostracan crustaceans in the superorder Peracarida, comprising shrimp-like animals that mostly inhabit the relatively deep pelagic waters of the oceans throughout the world.
Most lophogastridan species are lon ...
Sars, 1870 - lophogastrides
**** Order Mictacea Bowman, Garner, Hessler, Iliffe & Sanders, 1985 - mictacés
**** Order Mysida
Mysida is an order of small, shrimp-like crustaceans in the malacostracan superorder Peracarida. Their common name opossum shrimps stems from the presence of a brood pouch or "marsupium" in females. The fact that the larvae are reared in th ...
Haworth, 1825 - mysidacés
**** Order Pygocephalomorpha
The order Pygocephalomorpha is an extinct group of peracarid crustaceans. Pygocephalomorpha were abundant from the Carboniferous until their extinction in the Permian.
Families
The order contains extinct five families, and seven genera ''incer ...
**** Order Spelaeogriphacea Gordon, 1957 - spelaeogriphaceae
**** Order Stygiomysida Tchindonova, 1981 - stygiomysides
**** Order Tanaidacea
The crustacean order Tanaidacea (known as tanaids) make up a minor group within the class Malacostraca. There are about 940 species in this order.
Description
Tanaids are small, shrimp-like creatures ranging from in adult size, with most specie ...
Dana, 1849 - tanaidaceae
**** Order Thermosbaenacea Monod, 1927 - thermosbaenaceae
*** Superorder Syncarida Packard, 1879
**** Order Anaspidacea
Anaspidacea is an order of crustaceans, comprising eleven genera in four families. Species in the family Anaspididae vary from being strict stygobionts (only living underground) to species living in lakes, streams and moorland pools, and are fo ...
Calman, 1904
**** Order Bathynellacea Chappuis, 1915
**** Order Palaeocaridacea Brooks, 1962
** Subclass Hoplocarida
Hoplocarida is a subclass of crustaceans. The only extant members are the mantis shrimp (Stomatopoda), but two other orders existed in the Palaeozoic: Aeschronectida
Aeschronectida is an extinct order of mantis shrimp-like crustacean
Crus ...
Calman, 1904
*** Order Stomatopoda
Mantis shrimp, or stomatopods, are carnivorous marine crustaceans of the order Stomatopoda (). Stomatopods branched off from other members of the class Malacostraca around 340 million years ago. Mantis shrimp typically grow to around in length, ...
Latreille, 1817 - shrimps-mantes
** Subclass Phyllocarida
Phyllocarida is a subclass of crustacean
Crustaceans (Crustacea, ) form a large, diverse arthropod taxon which includes such animals as decapoda, decapods, ostracoda, seed shrimp, branchiopoda, branchiopods, argulidae, fish lice, krill, remipe ...
Packard, 1879
*** Order Archaeostraca Claus, 1888
*** Order Canadaspidida Novozhilov, 1960
*** Order Hoplostraca Schram, 1973
*** Order Hymenostraca Rolfe, 1969
*** Order Leptostraca Claus, 1880
*** Genus '' Nothozoe'' Barrande, 1872
*''Incertae sedis''
** Order Cyclida
Cyclida (formerly Cycloidea, and so sometimes known as cycloids) is an extinct order of crab-like fossil arthropods that lived from the Carboniferous to the Cretaceous. Their classification is uncertain, but they are generally interpreted as cru ...
Notes:
Image gallery
File:Copepod.jpg, Copepod
Copepods (; meaning "oar-feet") are a group of small crustaceans found in nearly every freshwater and saltwater habitat. Some species are planktonic (inhabiting sea waters), some are benthic (living on the ocean floor), a number of species have ...
File:Sacculina carcini 5352.JPG, Sacculina ''Sacculina carcini
''Sacculina carcini'', the crab hacker barnacle, is a species of parasitic barnacle in the family Sacculinidae, in particular a parasitic castrator, of crabs. The crab that most often is used as a host is the green crab, the natural range of w ...
'' (Rhizocephala
Rhizocephala are derived barnacles that parasitise mostly decapod crustaceans, but can also infest Peracarida, mantis shrimps and thoracican barnacles, and are found from the deep ocean to freshwater. Together with their sister groups Thoracic ...
) parasite of a crab.
File:Entenmuscheol.jpg, Anew Lepas anatifera ( Lepadiformes)
File:Barnacles in Cape Elizabeth Maine.ogv, Balth ''Chthamalus stellatus
''Chthamalus stellatus'', common name Poli's stellate barnacle, is a species of acorn barnacle common on rocky shores in South West England, Ireland, and Southern Europe. It is named after Giuseppe Saverio Poli.
Description
''C. stellatus'' is ...
'' (Sessilia
Sessilia is an unranked clade of barnacles, comprising the barnacles without stalks, or acorn barnacles. They form a monophyletic group and are probably derived from stalked or goose barnacles. Sessilia is divided into two orders. The Verrucomo ...
)
File:Pollicipes polymerus 3.jpg, Inch-foot '' Pollicipes polymerus'' ( Scalpelliformes)
File:Amphionides reynaudii larvae.png, '' Amphionides reynaudii'' , the unique Amphionidacea known.
File:Cancer bellianus Johnston 1861 stuffed museum La Rochelle.jpg, Crab '' Cancer bellianus'' ( Eucarida)
File:Antarctic krill (Euphausia superba).jpg, Antarctic Krill ''Euphausia superba
Antarctic krill (''Euphausia superba'') is a species of krill found in the Antarctic waters of the Southern Ocean. It is a small, swimming crustacean that lives in large schools, called swarms, sometimes reaching densities of 10,000–30,000 ind ...
'' ( Euphausiacea)
File:Nototropis swammerdamei.jpg, '' Atylus swammerdami'' (Amphipoda
Amphipoda is an order of malacostracan crustaceans with no carapace and generally with laterally compressed bodies. Amphipods range in size from and are mostly detritivores or scavengers. There are more than 9,900 amphipod species so far descri ...
)
File:Diastylis bradyi (female).jpg, '' Diastylis bradyi'' (Cumacea
Cumacea is an order of small marine crustaceans of the superorder Peracarida, occasionally called hooded shrimp or comma shrimp. Their unique appearance and uniform body plan makes them easy to distinguish from other crustaceans. They live in so ...
)
File:Bathynomus doederleinii (dorsal).jpg, '' Bathynomus doederleinii'' (Isopoda
Isopoda is an order of crustaceans that includes woodlice and their relatives. Isopods live in the sea, in fresh water, or on land. All have rigid, segmented exoskeletons, two pairs of antennae, seven pairs of jointed limbs on the thorax, and ...
)
File:Gnathophausia zoea.jpg, ''Gnathophausia zoea
''Gnathophausia zoea'' is a species of lophogastrid crustacean. It is widely distributed in the Atlantic Ocean from the Arctic Circle to the Equator; in the Pacific Ocean, it is more restricted to tropical areas. The adults may reach long, ex ...
'' (Lophogastrida
Lophogastrida is an order of malacostracan crustaceans in the superorder Peracarida, comprising shrimp-like animals that mostly inhabit the relatively deep pelagic waters of the oceans throughout the world.
Most lophogastridan species are lon ...
)
File:Mictocaris halope.jpg, ''Mictocaris halope
''Mictocaris halope'' is the only species of cave crustacean in the monotypic genus ''Mictocaris''. It is placed in its own family, Mictocarididae, and is sometimes considered the only member of the order Mictacea. ''Mictocaris'' is endemic t ...
'' ( Mictacea)
File:Gastrosaccus spinifer.jpg, '' Gastrosaccus spinifer'' (Mysida
Mysida is an order of small, shrimp-like crustaceans in the malacostracan superorder Peracarida. Their common name opossum shrimps stems from the presence of a brood pouch or "marsupium" in females. The fact that the larvae are reared in th ...
)
File:Tanaissus lilljeborgi.jpg, '' Tanaissus lilljeborgi'' (Tanaidacea
The crustacean order Tanaidacea (known as tanaids) make up a minor group within the class Malacostraca. There are about 940 species in this order.
Description
Tanaids are small, shrimp-like creatures ranging from in adult size, with most specie ...
)
File:Tethysbaena ophelicola.jpg, '' Tethysbaena ophelicola'' ( Thermosbaenacea)
File:Koonunga cursor.png, '' Koonunga cursor'' (Anaspidacea
Anaspidacea is an order of crustaceans, comprising eleven genera in four families. Species in the family Anaspididae vary from being strict stygobionts (only living underground) to species living in lakes, streams and moorland pools, and are fo ...
)
File:Odontodactylus scyllarus Réunion.jpg, ''Odontodactylus scyllarus
''Odontodactylus scyllarus'', commonly known as the peacock mantis shrimp, harlequin mantis shrimp, painted mantis shrimp, clown mantis shrimp or rainbow mantis shrimp, is a large stomatopod native to the epipelagic seabed across the Indo-Pacif ...
'' (Stomatopoda
Mantis shrimp, or stomatopods, are carnivorous marine crustaceans of the order Stomatopoda (). Stomatopods branched off from other members of the class Malacostraca around 340 million years ago. Mantis shrimp typically grow to around in length, ...
)
File:Nebalia bipes.jpg, '' Nebalia bipes'' ( Leptostraca)
Taxonomic references
* World Register of Marine Species
taxon ''Multicrustacea'' Regier Shultz Zwick Hussey, Ball, Wetzer, Martin & Cunningham, 2010
( + class list
+ orders list
/small>)
''Multicrustacea''
* Animal Diversity Web
Animal Diversity Web (ADW) is an online database that collects the natural history, classification, species characteristics, conservation biology, and distribution information on thousands of species of animals. The website includes thousands ...
Multicrustacea
* Catalog of Life
The Catalogue of Life is an online database that provides an index of known species of animals, plants, fungi, and microorganisms. It was created in 2001 as a partnership between the global Species 2000 and the American Integrated Taxonomic Inf ...
''Multicrustacea''
* IUCN
The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN; officially International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources) is an international organization working in the field of nature conservation and sustainable use of natu ...
taxon ''Multicrustacea''
Notes and references
# ↑ World Register of Marine Species, accessed 13 April 2016
{{Taxonbar, from=Q11937877
Crustaceans