Crustacean
|
|
| Crustaceans | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Hyalella azteca | ||||||
| Scientific classification | ||||||
| ||||||
| Classes | ||||||
|
The crustaceans (Crustacea) are a large group of arthropods (55,000 species), usually treated as a subphylum. They include various familiar animals, such as lobsters, crabs, shrimp and barnacles. They are variously found in marine and freshwater, with a few terrestrial members (such as woodlice).
The scientific study of crustaceans is known as carcinology.
| Contents |
Structure of crustaceans
Crustaceans have three distinct body parts: head, thorax, and abdomen (or pleon), although the head and thorax may fuse to form a cephalothorax. They have two pairs of antennae on the head, compound eyes, three pairs of mouthparts and a telson. Smaller crustaceans respire through their body surface by diffusion and larger crustaceans respire with gills. Crustaceans typically have a thick carapace on the dorsal side of their body. Their appendages are typically biramous, including the second pair of antennae (but not the first).
Reproduction
Taxonomy
The formal classification of crustaceans varies somewhat. In general, because of the large number of species, taxonomists have made extensive use of subordinate taxonomic categories (suborders, superfamilies and so forth), and the status of different groupings is frequently controversial; this can make taxonomic references hard to follow. Evolutionary relationships between the different groups are not entirely clear, making the exact definition of larger groups difficult.
Geological history
Although crustaceans are rarer as fossils than trilobites are, a number of different types of crustaceans are common in the rocks of the Cretaceous period as well as those of the Caenozoic era. Most of the smaller crustaceans, such as shrimp, have an exoskeleton which is somewhat delicate and for this reason their fossil record is incomplete. However, crustaceans such as crabs and lobsters have a thicker exoskeleton which is reinforced with calcium carbonate and so their fossil record is much better. The fossil record of barnacles is scarce and little is known of their history prior to the Mesozoic era. Well preserved specimens are known from the rocks of the Cretaceous period and the Caenozoic era.
The most well known crustaceans, the malacostraca (crabs, lobsters, crayfish, shrimp), although widespread today are only found sporadically as fossils. Most of the known fossil crabs are of forms which lived on the sea-floor or in a reef environment. In rocks such as the Gault clay from the Cretaceous period and the London clay from the Eocene period in England fossil crabs may be found. The 'Lobster Bed' of the Greensand formation from the Cretaceous period which occurs at Atherfield on the Isle of Wight in England contains many well preserved examples of the small glypheoid lobster Mecochirus magna. The lithographic limestones from the Jurassic period of Solnhofen in Germany have long been famed for the many exceptionally preserved crab, lobster and shrimp fossils they have yielded (such as Aeger, Eryon, and Pseudastacus).
Animal Videos
- Animal Videos (http://classroomclipart.com/clipart/Videos/Animals.htm)
- Marine Animal Videos (http://classroomclipart.com/clipart/Videos/Animals/Marine_Animals.htm)
- Mammal Videos (http://classroomclipart.com/clipart/Videos/Animals/Mammals.htm)
- Amphibian and Reptile Videos (http://classroomclipart.com/clipart/Videos/Animals/Amphibians_and_Reptiles.htm)
Clipart and Animal Clipart & Pictures
- Clipart (http://classroomclipart.com/clipart/Clipart.htm)
- Animal Clipart (http://classroomclipart.com/clipart/Clipart/Animals.htm)
- Animal Animated Clipart (http://classroomclipart.com/clipart/Animations/Animals.htm)
- Pictures of Animals (http://classroomclipart.com/clipart/Animals.htm)