Derocheilocarididae
| Mystacocarida | |
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| Scientific classification | |
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| Phylum: | |
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| Subclass: | Mystacocarida Pennak & Zinn, 1943
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| Order: | Mystacocaridida Pennak & Zinn, 1943
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| Family: | Derocheilocarididae Pennak & Zinn, 1943
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Mystacocarida is a subclass of crustaceans, that form part of the meiobenthos. They are less than 1 mm (0.04 in) long, and live interstitially in the intertidal zones of sandy beaches.
Taxonomy
The taxonomy of Mystacocarida is extremely conservative, since all mystacocarids look superficially alike. As of October 2012[update], there are 13 described species divided between two genera, Derocheilocaris (8 species) and Ctenocheilocharis (5 species).[1][2] The first mystacocarids to be found were discovered on a beach in southern New England in 1939.[3]
Distribution
Mystacocarids occur along the coasts of South and North America, southern Africa, and the western Mediterranean.[4] The lack of records from other parts of the world is "almost certainly" due to a lack of appropriate sampling, rather than a true absence.[2]
Description
Mystacocarids are tiny crustaceans, less than 1 millimetre (0.04 in) long, that live in the spaces between sand grains on intertidal beaches.[3] They have a cylindrical body, with five thoracic and five abdominal segments. There are four pairs of small thoracic appendages.[5]
The head is relatively large and divided into two by a stricture, so that the latter part gives the appearance of being a part of the thorax. This region bears a pair of maxillipeds, and the head also has two pairs of maxillae, a pair of limb-like mandibles, and two pairs of long antennae. The appendages on the head are much longer than those on the thorax, and have a number of fine hairs that the animal uses to strain detritus from the water to feed on. They have a single naupliar eye.[5] After mating, mystacocarids lay tiny eggs which hatch into a nauplius or metanauplius larva.[4]
References
- ^ "WoRMS Mystacocarida: World List of Mystacocarida". 2012 Annual Checklist. Catalogue of Life. March 15, 2012. Retrieved October 24, 2012.
- ^ a b Joel W. Martin (2009). "Cephalocarida and Mystacocarida (Crustacea) of the Gulf of Mexico". In Darryl L. Felder & David K. Camp (ed.). Biodiversity. Gulf of Mexico: Origin, Waters, and Biota. Vol. 1. Texas A&M University Press. pp. 821–824. ISBN 978-1-60344-094-3.
- ^ a b James T. Carlton & Joel W. Martin (2007). "Mystacocarida". In James T. Carlton (ed.). The Light and Smith manual: intertidal invertebrates from central California to Oregon (4th ed.). University of California Press. p. 413. ISBN 978-0-520-23939-5.
- ^ a b J. K. Lowry (October 2, 1999). "Mystacocarida (Maxillipoda)". Crustacea, the Higher Taxa. Australian Museum. Retrieved July 25, 2011.
- ^ a b Robert D. Barnes (1982). Invertebrate Zoology. Philadelphia, PA: Holt-Saunders International. pp. 692–693. ISBN 0-03-056747-5.