| Orchestia mediterranea | |
|---|---|
 | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Malacostraca |
| Order: | Amphipoda |
| Family: | Talitridae |
| Genus: | Orchestia |
| Species: | O. mediterranea |
| Binomial name | |
| Orchestia mediterranea A. Costa, 1853 | |
| Synonyms [1] | |
| |
Orchestia mediterranea, sometimes called the Mediterranean beach hopper, [2] is a species of amphipod in the family Talitridae (sandhoppers).
This species grows to a maximum length of 19 mm (0.75 in) and is pink in colour. [2] It can be distinguished from Orchestia gammarellus by the ramus (branch) of its pleopods (swimming legs), which are as long as, or longer than, the peduncle (base segment of the antenna); in O. gammarellus the ramus of the pleopods is much shorter than the peduncle. [3]
Orchestia mediterranea is found in the Mediterranean Sea, Black Sea and the seas around Great Britain and Ireland. [1] [4] [5]
Infection with the parasite Paramarteilia orchestiae can cause intersexual attributes in male Orchestia mediterranea. [6]
A study in Bizerte found that Orchestia mediterranea was more common in autumn than summer. [7]
Media related to Orchestia mediterranea at Wikimedia Commons