The Hyperiidea are a suborder of

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 descri ...

s, small aquatic

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. Unlike the other suborders of Amphipoda, hyperiids are exclusively marine and do not occur in fresh water. Hyperiids are distinguished by their large eyes and

plankton Plankton are the diverse collection of organisms found in water (or air) that are unable to propel themselves against a current (or wind). The individual organisms constituting plankton are called plankters. In the ocean, they provide a cruc ...

ic habitat. Most species of hyperiids are

parasite Parasitism is a close relationship between species, where one organism, the parasite, lives on or inside another organism, the host, causing it some harm, and is adapted structurally to this way of life. The entomologist E. O. Wilson h ...

s or

predator Predation is a biological interaction where one organism, the predator, kills and eats another organism, its prey. It is one of a family of common feeding behaviours that includes parasitism and micropredation (which usually do not kill t ...

s of salps and

jellyfish Jellyfish and sea jellies are the informal common names given to the medusa-phase of certain gelatinous members of the subphylum Medusozoa, a major part of the phylum Cnidaria. Jellyfish are mainly free-swimming marine animals with umbre ...

in the

, although ''

Themisto gaudichaudii ''Themisto gaudichaudii'' is an amphipod crustacean of the suborder Hyperiidea. Relatives The 260 species of hyperiid amphipods are large-eyed and planktonic amphipods, whereas gammarid amphipods have smaller eyes and tend to live on the sea fl ...

'' and a few relatives are free-swimming predators of

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 and other small planktonic animals.

Gallery

Taxonomy

According to Vinogradov ''et al.'' in 1996, 233 species of Hyperiidea are known. Some controversy exists as to the number of families in the Hyperiidea, being given as between 20 and 23 depending on whether groups like the

Thaumatopsidae ''Cystisoma '' is a genus of amphipod. It is the only member of the family Cystisomatidae within the Hyperiidea. The genus is noted for its nearly completely transparent body, adapted for life in low light waters. Description Gallery ''Cyst ...

are considered distinct or not. The taxonomy of Hyperiidea currently accepted by the '' World Register of Marine Species'' is as follows: ;Infraorder Physocephalata Bowman & Gruner, 1973 * Parvorder

Physocephalatidira Physocephalatidira is a parvorder of plankton in the sub-order Hyperiidea. It is the only taxon within the infraorder Physocephalata, making its parent a monotypic taxon In biology, a monotypic taxon is a taxonomic group (taxon) that contain ...

Bowman & Gruner, 1973 ** Superfamily

Phronimoidea Phronimoidea is a superfamily of plankton in the sub-order Hyperiidea. Families * Bougisidae Zeidler, 2004 * Cystisomatidae Willemöes-Suhm, 1875 * Dairellidae Bovallius, 1887 *Hyperiidae The Hyperiidae are a family of amphipods Amphi ...

Rafinesque, 1815 *** Family

Bougisidae ''Bougisia'' is a genus of plankton in the sub-order Hyperiidea – a type of so-called "hyperid" amphipoda. The genus ''Bougisia'' is the only subordinate taxon in the monotypic family Bougisidae. The genus ''Bougisia'' is also monotypic, being ...

Zeidler, 2004 *** Family

Cystisomatidae ''Cystisoma '' is a genus of amphipod. It is the only member of the family Cystisomatidae within the Hyperiidea. The genus is noted for its nearly completely transparent body, adapted for life in low light waters. Description Gallery ''Cyst ...

Willemöes-Suhm, 1875 *** Family

Dairellidae Dairellidae is a family of amphipods belonging to the 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 detritivore ...

Bovallius, 1887 *** Family Hyperiidae Dana, 1852 *** Family Iulopididae Zeidler, 2004 *** Family Lestrigonidae Zeidler, 2004 *** Family

Phronimidae The Phronimidae are a family of amphipod crustaceans, containing two genera: *''Phronima ''Phronima'' is a genus of small, deep sea hyperiid amphipods of the family Phronimidae. It is found throughout the world's oceans, except in polar regio ...

Rafinesque, 1815 *** Family Phrosinidae Dana, 1852 ** Superfamily Platysceloidea Spence Bate, 1862 *** Family Amphithyridae Zeidler, 2016 *** Family Anapronoidae Bowman & Gruner, 1973 *** Family Brachyscelidae Stephensen, 1923 *** Family Eupronoidae Zeidler, 2016 *** Family Lycaeidae Claus, 1879 *** Family Lycaeopsidae Chevreux, 1913 *** Family Oxycephalidae Dana, 1852 *** Family Parascelidae Bovallius, 1887 *** Family Platyscelidae Spence Bate, 1862 *** Family Pronoidae Dana, 1852 *** Family Thamneidae Zeidler, 2016 *** Family Tryphanidae Boeck, 1871 ** Superfamily Vibilioidea Dana, 1852 *** Family Cyllopodidae Bovallius, 1887 *** Family Paraphronimidae Bovallius, 1887 *** Family Vibiliidae Dana, 1852 ;Infraorder Physosomata Pirlot, 1929 * Parvorder Physosomatidira Pirlot, 1929 ** Superfamily Lanceoloidea Bovallius, 1887 *** Family Chuneolidae Woltereck, 1909 *** Family Lanceolidae Bovallius, 1887 *** Family Megalanceolidae Zeidler, 2009 *** Family Metalanceolidae Zeidler, 2009 *** Family Microphasmidae Stephensen & Pirlot, 1931 *** Family Mimonecteolidae Zeidler, 2009 *** Family Prolanceolidae Zeidler, 2009 ** Superfamily Scinoidea Stebbing, 1888 *** Family Archaeoscinidae K. H. Barnard, 1930 *** Family Microscinidae Zeidler, 2012 *** Family Mimonectidae Bovallius, 1885 *** Family Mimoscinidae Zeidler, 2012 *** Family Scinidae Stebbing, 1888

Distribution

Hyperiidea are known from many

ocean The ocean (also the sea or the world ocean) is the body of salt water that covers approximately 70.8% of the surface of Earth and contains 97% of Earth's water. An ocean can also refer to any of the large bodies of water into which the wo ...

s of the world, including 69 species in the

Southern Ocean The Southern Ocean, also known as the Antarctic Ocean, comprises the southernmost waters of the World Ocean, generally taken to be south of 60° S latitude and encircling Antarctica. With a size of , it is regarded as the second-small ...

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q136267 Amphipoda Taxa named by Henri Milne-Edwards Arthropod suborders