| Gigantocypris | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Subphylum: | Crustacea |
| Class: | Ostracoda |
| Order: | Myodocopida |
| Family: | Cypridinidae |
| Genus: | Gigantocypris Skogsberg, 1920 [1] |
| Species | |
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See text |
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Gigantocypris is a genus of ostracod crustacean in family Cypridinidae,[1] and probably the most famous ostracod in the world.[2] Its members are exceptionally large for ostracods, measuring up to 25 millimetres (1.0 in) across.[3] The animals are orange–red in life, but live at depths of 900–1,300 m (3,000–4,300 ft),[3] where there is no natural sunlight. Despite this, they are equipped with a pair of large eyes which, rather than using lenses to focus light onto a retina, use parabolic mirrors a few millimetres across.[4] It is thought that Gigantocypris uses these eyes to find sources of bioluminescence for it to predate upon,[2] and it feeds upon copepods and small fish.[3]
The genus contains six species:[1][5]