Eumalacostraca

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iEumalacostraca
Blue crabs, Callinectes sapidus
Blue crabs, Callinectes sapidus
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Subphylum: Crustacea
Class: Malacostraca
Subclass: Eumalacostraca
Grobben, 1892
Superorders

Syncarida
Peracarida
Eucarida
See text for orders.

The Eumalacostraca (Greek: "true soft shell") are a subclass of crustaceans, containing almost all living malacostracans, about 22,000 described species. (The outgroups are the Phyllocarida and possibly the Hoplocarida or mantis shrimps.)

Eumalacostracans have 19 segments (5 cephalic, 8 thoracic, 6 abdominal). The thoracic limbs are jointed and used for swimming or walking. The common ancestor is thought to have had a carapace, and most living species possess one, but it has been lost in some subgroups.

[edit] Classification

Martin and Davis[1] present the following classification of living eumalacostracans into orders, to which extinct orders have been added, indicated by †.

The group as originally described by Karl Grobben[2] included the Stomatopoda (mantis shrimps), and some modern experts continue to use this definition. Here we follow Martin and Davis in excluding them; they are placed in their own subclass, Hoplocarida.

Subclass Eumalacostraca Grobben, 1892

  • Superorder Syncarida Packard, 1885
    • †Order Palaeocaridacea
    • Order Bathynellacea Chappuis, 1915
    • Order Anaspidacea Calman, 1904 (including Stygocaridacea)
  • Superorder Peracarida Calman, 1904
  • Superorder Eucarida Calman, 1904

[edit] References

  1. ↑  Joel W. Martin and George E. Davis (2001). An Updated Classification of the Recent Crustacea. Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County.
  2. ↑  C. Grobben (1892). "Zur Kenntnis des Stammbaumes und des Systems der Crustaceen". Sitzber. K. Akad. Wiss., Vienna, Math. Nat. Cl. 101: 237-274.
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