Monstrilloida
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Monstrilla Dana, 1849 |
Monstrilloida is an order of copepods with a cosmopolitan distribution in the world's oceans. The order contains a single family, Monstrillidae [1]; the family Thaumatopsyllidae was formerly included in the order, but is now usually placed in the Cyclopoida [3]. The taxonomy of the family is undergoing a period of revision [4], although some necessary changes are apparent; for instance, the genus Strilloma is now considered a taxonomic synonym of Monstrilla, the largest genus [5].
The order is poorly known, biologically and ecologically, although the life cycle is known to differ from that of all other copepods [6]. The larvae are parasites of benthic polychaetes and gastropods, while the adults are planktonic and incapable of feeding, functioning solely to reproduce [7].
The family Monstrillidae is characterised by having a well-developed fourth pair of swimming legs, but a rudimentary or absent fifth pair. Adults have no oral appendages, and the mouth leads only to a short, blind pharynx. Females carry a long pair of spines to which the eggs are attached, while males have a "genital protuberance, which is provided with lappets"; in both sexes, the genitalia are very different from those of all other copepods [8].
[edit] References
- ^ a b Monstrilloida (TSN 88989). Integrated Taxonomic Information System.
- ^ Monstrillidae (TSN 88991). Integrated Taxonomic Information System.
- ^ J. W. Martin & G. E. Davis (2001). An Updated Classification of the Recent Crustacea (PDF), Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, 132 pp.
- ^ E. Suárez-Morales & J. B. Escamilla (2001). Taxonomic report on some monstrilloids (Copepoda, Monstrilloida) from southeast Mexico with the description of a new species of Monstrilla. Journal of Natural History 35: 1433–1445. doi:.
- ^ Eduardo Suárez-Morales & Rebeca Gasca (2004). On the invalidity of Strilloma Isaac (Copepoda: Monstrilloida): observations from the type species. Zoological Studies 43 (2): 292–299.
- ^ Cristina de Oliveira Dias (1996). Monstrilloida (Copepoda) off the Brazilian coast. Hydrobiologia 324: 253–256. doi:.
- ^ E. Suárez-Morales & R. Palomares-García (1995). A new species of Monstrilla (Copepoda: Monstrilloida) from a coastal system of the Baja California Peninsula, Mexico. Journal of Plankton Research 17 (4): 745–752. doi:.
- ^ Charles C. Davis (1949). A primary revision of the Monstrilloidea, with descriptions of two new species. Transactions of the American Microscopical Society 68 (3): 245–255. doi:.
