Hyperiidea

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Hyperiidea
A hyperiid amphipod (Hyperia macrocephala)
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Arthropoda Subphylum: Crustacea Class: Malacostraca Order: Amphipoda Suborder: Hyperiidea Milne-Edwards, 1830
Families
See text

Hyperiidea is a suborder of amphipods, small aquatic crustaceans. Unlike the other suborders of Amphipoda, hyperiids are exclusively marine and do not occur in freshwater. Hyperiids are distinguished by their large eyes and planktonic habitat. Most species of Hyperiids are parasites or predators of salps and jellyfishes in the plankton, although Themisto gaudichaudii and a few relatives are free-swimming predators of copepods and other small planktonic animals.

[edit] Taxonomy

According to Vinogradov et al. ^[1], there are 233 species of Hyperiidea.

There is some controversy as to the number of families in the Hyperiidea, being given as between 20 and 23 depending on whether groups like the Thaumatopsidae are considered distinct or not. Here is the conservative list, of 20 families:

• Lanceolidae
• Chuneolidae
• Microphasmidae
• Archaeoscinidae
• Scinidae
• Mimonectidae
• Proscinidae
• Cystisomatidae
• Vibiliidae
• Paraphronimidae
• Hyperiidae
• Dairellidae
• Phronimidae
• Phrosinidae
• Lycaeopsidae
• Anapronoidae
• Lycaeidae
• Oxycephalidae
• Platyscelidae
• Parascelidae

[edit] Distribution

Hyperiidea are known from many oceans of the world, including 69 species in the Southern Ocean ^[2].

[edit] References

1. ^ Vinogradov, M. E., A. F. Volkov & T. N. Semenova (1996). Hyperiid amphipods (Amphipoda: Hyperiidea) of the world. ISBN 1-886106-48-7. 
2. ^ De Broyer, C. & K. Jazdzewski (1993). Contribution to the marine biodiversity inventory: A checklist of the Amphipoda (Crustacea) of the Southern Ocean. Doc Trav Inst R Sci Nat Belg 73.