Bathynellacea

Bathynellacea
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropod
Subphylum: Crustacea
Class: Malacostraca
Superorder: Syncarida
Order: Bathynellacea
Chappuis, 1915 [1]
Families [1]
  • Bathynellidae Grobben, 1905
  • Parabathynellidae Noodt, 1965

Bathynellacea is an order of crustaceans which live interstitially in groundwater.[2] Some species can tolerate low salt concentrations, and at least one African species is a thermophile, living in hot springs and tolerating temperatures up to 55 °C (131 °F).[3] Bathynellaceans are minute, blind, worm-like animals with short, weak legs,[4] reaching a maximum size of 3.4 millimetres (0.13 in).[5] They are found on every continent except Antarctica, although they are missing from some islands, including Fiji, New Caledonia and the Caribbean islands.[3] There are two families, Bathynellidae and Parabathynellidae; a third family, "Leptobathynellidae", is considered a synonym of Parabathynellidae.[6]

References

  1. ^ a b "Bathynellacea". Integrated Taxonomic Information System. http://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=621157. Retrieved October 20, 2010. 
  2. ^ J. K. Lowry. "Bathynellacea (Malacostraca)". Crustacea, the Higher Taxa: Description, Identification, and Information Retrieval. http://crustacea.net/crustace/www/bathynel.htm. Retrieved October 20, 2010. 
  3. ^ a b "Bathynellacea". Animal Life Resource. Jrank. http://animals.jrank.org/pages/1766/Bathynellaceans-Bathynellacea.html. Retrieved October 20, 2010. 
  4. ^ "Crustacean". Encyclopædia Britannica. http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/359445/malacostracan/33792/Annotated-classification#. Retrieved 2009-11-26. 
  5. ^ "Bathynellacea (bathynellaceans)". Identification and Ecology of Australian Freshwater Invertebrates. Murray Darling Freshwater Research Centre. http://www.mdfrc.org.au/bugguide/display.asp?class=18&subclass=33&order=29&Couplet=0&Type=3. Retrieved October 20, 2010. 
  6. ^ Jan Drewes & Horst Kurt Schminke (2011). "Number of families within Bathynellacea (Malacostraca) and year of publication of their names, with redescription of Baicalobathynella magna (Bazikalova, 1954) from Lake Baikal". Crustaceana 84 (11): 1377–1401. doi:10.1163/001121611X590120. 

External links