''Urothoe'' is a genus of very small marine

amphipod 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 descr ...

crustaceans in the family

Urothoidae Urothoidae is a family of small marine amphipod crustaceans. Members of the family are found worldwide and are mainly detritivores and interface grazers, though some are also facultative filter feeder Filter feeders are a sub-group of suspensi ...

. Members of the genus are found worldwide.

Biology

Urothods are long and live on the sea bed or in shallow

burrow An Eastern chipmunk at the entrance of its burrow A burrow is a hole or tunnel excavated into the ground by an animal to construct a space suitable for habitation or temporary refuge, or as a byproduct of locomotion. Burrows provide a form of sh ...

s in

gravel Gravel is a loose aggregation of rock fragments. Gravel occurs naturally throughout the world as a result of sedimentary and erosive geologic processes; it is also produced in large quantities commercially as crushed stone. Gravel is classifi ...

ly substrates or muddy sand. They can swim for short distances. They are vulnerable to

dredging Dredging is the excavation of material from a water environment. Possible reasons for dredging include improving existing water features; reshaping land and water features to alter drainage, navigability, and commercial use; constructing da ...

but are able to recover afterwards and re-establish their burrows. They are

deposit feeders Detritivores (also known as detrivores, detritophages, detritus feeders, or detritus eaters) are heterotrophs that obtain nutrients by consuming detritus (decomposing plant and animal parts as well as feces). There are many kinds of invertebrates, ...

and also selectively scrape microorganisms from grains of sand.

Reproduction

''Urothoe'' reaches sexual maturity at five months and may live for about a year. The sexes are distinct and breeding takes place in the summer months. Fertilisation is internal and there are about fifteen eggs per brood, produced in a cycle of about fifteen days. Fecundity is high and the juveniles grow fast but

biological dispersal Biological dispersal refers to both the movement of individuals (animals, plants, fungi, bacteria, etc.) from their birth site to their breeding site ('natal dispersal'), as well as the movement from one breeding site to another ('breeding dis ...

is very limited.

Species

''Urothoe'' contains the following species: *'' Urothoe atlantica'' Bellan-Santini & Menioui, 2004 *'' Urothoe bairdii'' Bate, 1862 *''

Urothoe brevicornis ''Urothoe'' is a genus of very small marine amphipod crustaceans in the family Urothoidae. Members of the genus are found worldwide. Biology Urothods are long and live on the sea bed or in shallow burrows in gravelly substrates or muddy sand. T ...

'' Bate, 1862 *'' Urothoe carda'' Imbach, 1969 *'' Urothoe chosani'' Hirayama, 1992 *'' Urothoe convexa'' Kim & Kim, 1991 *'' Urothoe corsica'' Bellan-Santini, 1965 *'' Urothoe coxalis'' Griffiths, 1974 *'' Urothoe cuspis'' Imbach, 1969 *'' Urothoe dentata'' Schellenberg, 1925 *'' Urothoe denticulata'' Gurjanova, 1951 *'' Urothoe elegans'' (Bate, 1857) *'' Urothoe elizae'' Cooper & Fincham, 1974 *'' Urothoe falcata'' Schellenberg, 1931 *'' Urothoe femoralis'' K. H. Barnard, 1955 *'' Urothoe gelasina'' Imbach, 1969 *'' Urothoe grimaldii'' Chevreux, 1895 *'' Urothoe hesperiae'' Conradi, Lopez-Gonzalez & Bellan-Santini, 1997 *'' Urothoe intermedia'' Bellan-Santini & Ruffo, 1986 *'' Urothoe irrostratus'' Dana, 1852 *'' Urothoe latifrons'' Ren, 1991 *''

Urothoe marina ''Urothoe marina'' is a species of small marine amphipod crustaceans in the family Urothoidae. It is found on and burrowing in coarse sediments in shallow coastal waters off northwestern Europe. Description ''U. marina'' is about long, cresce ...

'' (Bate, 1857) *'' Urothoe marionis'' Bellan-Santini & Ledoyer, 1987 *'' Urothoe oniscoides'' (K. H. Barnard, 1932) *'' Urothoe orientalis'' Gurjanova, 1938 *'' Urothoe pestai'' Spandl, 1923 *'' Urothoe pinnata'' K. H. Barnard, 1955 *'' Urothoe platydactyla'' Rabindranath, 1971 *'' Urothoe platypoda'' Griffiths, 1974 *'' Urothoe poseidonis'' Reibish, 1905 *'' Urothoe poucheti'' Chevreux, 1888 *'' Urothoe pulchella'' (Costa, 1853) *'' Urothoe rotundifrons'' J. L. Barnard, 1962 *'' Urothoe ruber'' Giles, 1888 *'' Urothoe serrulidactylus'' K. H Barnard, 1955 *'' Urothoe spinidigitata'' Walker, 1904 *'' Urothoe tumorosa'' Griffiths, 1974 *'' Urothoe varvarini'' Gurjanova, 1953 *'' Urothoe vemae'' J.L. Barnard, 1962 *'' Urothoe viswanathi'' Asari, 1998 *''

Urothoe wellingtonensis ''Urothoe'' is a genus of very small marine Amphipoda, amphipod crustaceans in the Family (biology), family Urothoidae. Members of the genus are found worldwide. Biology Urothods are long and live on the sea bed or in shallow burrows in gravell ...

'' Cooper, 1974

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q3934377 Gammaridea Amphipod genera