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Epicaridea

Specimen image via iDigBio · CC0

EntityQ3055723· pop 9· linked from 24 articles

Epicaridea

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Epicaridea is a former suborder of isopods, now treated as an infraorder in suborder Cymothoida. They are ectoparasites that inhabit other crustaceans, namely ostracods, copepods, barnacles and malacostracans. Epicarideans are found globally. Epicaridea are generally less well researched than other isopods.

Species

Suborder

  1. PhylumArthropoda
  2. ClassMalacostraca
  3. OrderIsopoda
Habitatmarine, brackish, freshwater

via

Museum specimens

Specimen records
35
With media
5
Collections
CAS, CMN, ALMNH, UF
Recorded in
Ecuador, Comoros, United States, Canada, Mexico

Wikidata facts

Instance of
taxon
Parent taxon
Isopoda
Image
Aspidophryxus peltatus.png
Show 3 more facts
taxon name
Epicaridea
taxon rank
suborder
Commons category
Epicaridea
Sources (2)

via Wikidata · CC0

~2 min read

Encyclopedic overview

3 sections
Contents
  • Classification
  • References
  • External links

Epicaridea is a former suborder of isopods, now treated as an infraorder in suborder Cymothoida. They are ectoparasites that inhabit other crustaceans, namely ostracods, copepods, barnacles and malacostracans. Epicarideans are found globally. Epicaridea are generally less well researched than other isopods.

There is a high degree of sexual dimorphism within epicarideans. The female is commonly very asymmetrical, often losing segmentation. Two pairs of rudimentary antennae are carried on the head. Mouthparts show little development, with only mandibles and maxillipeds present, sometimes with a second pair of rudimentary maxillae. Males are of smaller size than females and of different appearance. Development is through regressive metamorphosis, undergoing two or three larval stages.

Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “Epicaridea” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.

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