Tegastidae is a

family Family (from la, familia) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its members and of society. Idea ...

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 p ...

s, which are characterised by having laterally compressed bodies (resembling that of an amphipod), a claw-like

mandible In anatomy, the mandible, lower jaw or jawbone is the largest, strongest and lowest bone in the human facial skeleton. It forms the lower jaw and holds the lower teeth in place. The mandible sits beneath the maxilla. It is the only movable bon ...

in the nauplius stage, and by a modified male genital complex. 85 species have been described in 6 genera. Two species of '' Smacigastes'' are found at hydrothermal vents, while the remaining species are found in shallow water, associated with

algae Algae ( , ; : alga ) are any of a large and diverse group of photosynthetic, eukaryotic organisms. The name is an informal term for a polyphyletic grouping that includes species from multiple distinct clades. Included organisms range from ...

bryozoa Bryozoa (also known as the Polyzoa, Ectoprocta or commonly as moss animals) are a phylum of simple, aquatic invertebrate animals, nearly all living in sedentary colonies. Typically about long, they have a special feeding structure called a ...

ns and

cnidaria Cnidaria () is a phylum under kingdom Animalia containing over 11,000 species of aquatic animals found both in Fresh water, freshwater and Marine habitats, marine environments, predominantly the latter. Their distinguishing feature is cnidocyt ...

ns, such as

coral Corals are marine invertebrates within the class Anthozoa of the phylum Cnidaria. They typically form compact colonies of many identical individual polyps. Coral species include the important reef builders that inhabit tropical oceans and secre ...

The six genera are: *'' Arawella'' Cottarelli & Baldari, 1987 *'' Feregastes'' Fiers, 1986 *'' Parategastes'' Sars, 1904 *'' Smacigastes'' Ivanenko & Defaye, 2004 *'' Syngastes'' Monard, 1924 *'' Tegastes'' Norman, 1903

References

Harpacticoida Crustacean families {{copepod-stub