Amphipoda is an order of malacostracan crustaceans with no carapace and generally with laterally compressed bodies. Amphipods range in size from 1 to 340 millimetres and are mostly detritivores or scavengers. There are more than 9,900 amphipod species so far described. They are mostly marine animals, but are found in almost all aquatic environments. Some 1,900 species live in fresh water, and the order also includes the terrestrial sandhoppers such as Talitrus saltator and Arcitalitrus sylvaticus.
Caprellidira is a parvorder of marine crustaceans of the infraorder Corophiida. The group includes skeleton shrimps (Caprellidae) and whale lice (Cyamidae).
Corophiida is an infraorder of amphipods that contains the two parvorders Caprellidira and Corophiidira.
Corophium is a genus of the amphipod family Corophiidae. Formerly a much larger genus, many species have been transferred to segregate genera such as Monocorophium and Crassicorophium.
Bathyporeia elegans is a species of amphipod crustacean in the genus Bathyporeia which occurs in the northeastern Atlantic Ocean. It is unpigmented, and grows up to 6 millimetres (0.24 in) long.
Caprella is a large genus of skeleton shrimps belonging to the subfamily Caprellinae of the family Caprellidae. It includes approximately 170 species. The genus was first established by Jean-Baptiste Lamarck in his great work Système des animaux sans vertèbres (1801) to describe Cancer linearis and Squilla ventricosa.
Caprella mendax is a species of skeleton shrimp in the genus Caprella.
Caprella kominatoensis is a species of skeleton shrimp in the genus Caprella. It was described in 1986 by Ichiro Takeuchi for specimens from Amatsu-Kominato, Chiba Prefecture, Japan, and is closely related to C. decipiens.
Caprella bathytatos is a species of skeleton shrimp in the genus Caprella. It was described in 1998 by Joel W. Martin and Gary Pettit, who discovered it living on the mouthparts of the crab Macroregonia macrochira near hydrothermal vents in British Columbia.
Caprella mutica, commonly known as the Japanese skeleton shrimp, is a species of skeleton shrimp. They are relatively large caprellids, reaching a maximum length of 50 mm (2.0 in). They are sexually dimorphic, with the males usually being much larger than the females. They are characterized by their "hairy" first and second thoracic segments and the rows of spines on their bodies. Body color ranges from green to red to blue, depending on the environment. They are omnivorous highly adaptable opportunistic feeders. In turn, they provide a valuable food source for fish, crabs, and other larger predators. They are usually found in dense colonies attached to submerged man-made structures, floating seaweed, and other organisms.
Caprelloidea is a superfamily of marine crustaceans in the order Amphipoda. It includes "untypical" forms of amphipods, such as the skeleton shrimps (Caprellidae) and whale lice (Cyamidae). The group was formerly treated as one of the four amphipod suborders, Caprellidea, but has been moved down to the superfamily rank by Myers & Lowry after phylogenetic studies of the group, and is now contained in the infraorder Corophiida of the suborder Senticaudata. The group includes the following families.
Caprella acanthogaster is a species of skeleton shrimp in the genus Caprella. It is native to northeast Asia. It closely resembles Caprella mutica but can be distinguished by its smooth first and second pereonites, as well as its linear-shaped gills.
Caprella tuberculata is a species of skeleton shrimp in the genus Caprella. It is native to the North Sea.
Jassa marmorata is a species of tube-building amphipod. It is native to the northeast Atlantic Ocean but has been introduced into northeast Asia. J. marmorata are greyish in colour with reddish brown markings. The can grow to a length of up to 10 millimetres (0.39 in). They are generally found in fouling communities and intertidal areas where they build tubes of detritus and algae fragments using silky mucus secretions. They are remarkable for having two distinct morphs of males with two different mating strategies. The 'major' morphs are fighter males, while the 'minor' morphs are sneaker males.
Caprella equilibra is a species of skeleton shrimp in the family Caprellidae. It lives among other organisms on the seabed and occurs in both shallow and deep water in many parts of the world.
Caprella penantis is a species of skeleton shrimp in the family Caprellidae. It lives on the seabed in shallow water in many parts of the world. This species was first described in 1814 by the English zoologist William Elford Leach who named it Caprella penantis in honour of the Welsh naturalist Thomas Pennant. The type locality is Devon, England.
Caprella unica is a species of skeleton shrimp in the genus Caprella within the family Caprellidae. The larvae are plankton-like. They are relatively small, with two large and two small antennae. They only live in the sea, and are widely found in Cape Cod, Maine and Newfoundland.
Eurythenes is a genus of marine amphipods in the family Eurytheneidae.
