Cyprididae is "the most diverse group of freshwater ostracods". It contains over 1000 species, which represents 50% of the known species of
freshwater
Fresh water or freshwater is any naturally occurring liquid or frozen water containing low concentrations of dissolved salts and other total dissolved solids. The term excludes seawater and brackish water, but it does include non-salty mi ...
ostracod
Ostracods, or ostracodes, are a Class (biology), class of the crustacean, Crustacea (class Ostracoda), sometimes known as seed shrimp. Some 33,000 species (only 13,000 of which are extant taxon, extant) have been identified,Brandão, S.N.; Antoni ...
s (other speciose families include
Candonidae, with 25%, and
Limnocytheridae, with 10%).
Around 60% of genera in the family are
endemic
Endemism is the state of a species being found only in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also foun ...
to a single
zoogeographic region.
The family contains 16 subfamilies, and is most diverse in the
Afrotropical realm
The Afrotropical realm is one of the Earth's eight biogeographic realms. It includes Sub-Saharan Africa, the southern Arabian Peninsula, the island of Madagascar, and the islands of the western Indian Ocean. It was formerly known as the Ethiopi ...
, with over 300 species in 45 genera.
Many Cyprididae occur in temporary water bodies and have drought-resistant eggs, mixed/parthenogenetic reproduction and ability to swim. These biological attributes pre-adapt them to form successful radiations in these habitats. ''
Bennelongia'' is an interesting genus in the family Cyprididae. It may be the last true descendant of the Mesozoic (and now extinct) lineage of ''
Cypridea'', which was a dominant lineage of ostracod in non-marine waters in the
Cretaceous
The Cretaceous ( ) is a geological period that lasted from about 143.1 to 66 mya (unit), million years ago (Mya). It is the third and final period of the Mesozoic Era (geology), Era, as well as the longest. At around 77.1 million years, it is the ...
.
Taxonomy
The following genera are recognised in the family Cyprididae:
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Afrocypris''
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Arctocypris''
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Ampullacypris''
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Bennelongia''
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Bradleystrandesia''
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Bradleytriebella''
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Brasacypris''
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Candocypria''
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Candonocypris''
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Chlamydotheca''
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Cypretta''
*''
Cypria
The ''Cypria'' (; ; ) is a lost epic poem of ancient Greek literature, which has been attributed to Stasinus and was quite well known in classical antiquity and fixed in a received text, but which subsequently was lost to view. It was part of ...
''
*''
Cypridopsis''
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Cyprinotus''
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Cypris''
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Cypricercus''
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Diacypris''
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Dolerocypris''
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Eucypris''
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Herpetocypris''
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Heterocypris''
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Hungarocypris''
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Ilyocypris''
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Kroemmelbeincypris''
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Kunluniacypris''
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Martenscypridopsis''
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Microcypris''
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Mishinaella''
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Mongolianella''
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Neocypridopsis''
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Ngarawa''
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Pattersoncypris''
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Potamocypris''
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Pseudocypridopsis''
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Pseudoeucypris''
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Reticypris''
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Riocypris''
Riocypris Klie, 1935
/ref>
*'' Sarscypridopsis''
*'' Strandesia''
*'' Tanycypris''
*'' Tucanocypris''
*'' Zonocypretta''
*'' Zonocypris''
References
External links
*
Ostracod families
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