Biology:Mystacocarida
| Mystacocarida | |
|---|---|
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| Unspecified member of Mystacocarida. | |
Scientific classification 
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| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Superclass: | Oligostraca |
| Subclass: | Mystacocarida Pennak & Zinn, 1943 |
| Order: | Mystacocaridida Pennak & Zinn, 1943 |
| Family: | Derocheilocarididae Pennak & Zinn, 1943 |
| Genera | |
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Mystacocarida is a subclass of crustaceans, that form part of the meiobenthos. They are less than 1 mm (0.04 in) long, and live interstitially in the intertidal zones of sandy beaches.
Taxonomy
The taxonomy of the Mystacocarida is extremely conservative, since all mystacocarids look superficially alike. As of October 2012[update], the 13 described species are divided between two genera, Derocheilocaris (eight species) and Ctenocheilocharis (five species).[1][2] The first mystacocarids to be found were discovered on a beach in southern New England in 1939.[3]
Distribution
Mystacocarids occur along the coasts of South and North America, southern Africa, and the western Mediterranean.[4] The lack of records from other parts of the world is "almost certainly" due to a lack of appropriate sampling, rather than a true absence.[2]
Description
Mystacocarids are tiny crustaceans, less than 1 mm (0.039 in) long, that live in the spaces between sand grains on intertidal beaches.[3] They have a cylindrical body, with five thoracic and five abdominal segments. Four pairs of small thoracic appendages are seen.[5]
The head is relatively large and divided into two by a stricture, so that the latter part gives the appearance of being a part of the thorax. This region bears a pair of maxillipeds, and the head also has two pairs of maxillae, a pair of limb-like mandibles, and two pairs of long antennae. The appendages on the head are much longer than those on the thorax, and have a number of fine hairs that the animal uses to strain detritus from the water to feed on. They have a single naupliar eye.[5] After mating, mystacocarids lay tiny eggs which hatch into a nauplius or metanauplius larva.[4]
References
- ↑ "WoRMS Mystacocarida: World List of Mystacocarida". 2012 Annual Checklist. Catalogue of Life. March 15, 2012. http://www.catalogueoflife.org/annual-checklist/2012/details/database/id/88. Retrieved October 24, 2012.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Joel W. Martin (2009). "Cephalocarida and Mystacocarida (Crustacea) of the Gulf of Mexico". in Darryl L. Felder & David K. Camp. Biodiversity. Gulf of Mexico: Origin, Waters, and Biota. 1. Texas A&M University Press. pp. 821–824. ISBN 978-1-60344-094-3. https://books.google.com/books?id=CphA8hiwaFIC&pg=PA821.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 James T. Carlton & Joel W. Martin (2007). "Mystacocarida". in James T. Carlton. The Light and Smith manual: intertidal invertebrates from central California to Oregon (4th ed.). University of California Press. p. 413. ISBN 978-0-520-23939-5. https://books.google.com/books?id=64jgZ1CfmB8C&pg=PA413.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 J. K. Lowry (October 2, 1999). "Mystacocarida (Maxillipoda)". Crustacea, the Higher Taxa. Australian Museum. http://www.crustacea.net/crustace/www/mystacoc.htm. Retrieved July 25, 2011.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Robert D. Barnes (1982). Invertebrate Zoology. Philadelphia, PA: Holt-Saunders International. pp. 692–693. ISBN 978-0-03-056747-6.
Wikidata ☰ Q132685 entry
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