Thalassinidea

The Thalassinidea, also called mole crabs were a paraphyletic partial order of decapods, which was replaced on the basis of phylogenetic studies by the partial orders Axiidea and Gebiidea. Differences in larval development, the structure of the gizzard and in expression of scissors on the second pair of walking legs support this differentiation.

Distribution and habitat

Thalassinidea worldwide live in temperate, subtropical and tropical oceans at depths from 0 to 2000 meters, where the vast majority of the species is not found below 200 meters. The distribution area extends between latitudes 70 ° N and 55 ° S, where the number of species decreases with larger latitudes.

Crabs this partial order live almost always extremely hidden in self-dug, sometimes highly complex cave systems in the mud or sand. This bioturbation they have great influence on the sediments and geochemistry of the seabed.

Features

Types of Thalassinidea outwardly resemble the crayfish ( Astacidae ). The body is generally cylindrical, with an elongated Pleon. The rostrum may be rudimentary, or is flat and wide. The telson has no transverse suture. The first pair of walking legs is always a Cheliped (scissors supporting), often the second has scissors, the third never. Their way of life required some morphological adaptations, including moving Branchiostegite ( side edges of the carapace ) to the gills under the earth out of fresh water can.

System

The Thalassinidea were divided into the following superfamilies and families:

  • Thalassinoidea Mud lobster ( Thalassinidae )
  • Ghost shrimp ( Callianassidae )
  • Callianideidae
  • Ctenochelidae
  • Laomediidae
  • Thomassiniidae
  • Upogebiidae
  • Axiidae
  • Calocarididae
  • Micheleidae
  • Strahlaxiidae

Swell

  • SA Fosså, & AJ Nilsen: Coral Reef Aquarium. Volume 6, Birgit Schmettkamp Verlag, Bornheim 1998, ISBN 3-928819-18-6.
  • Alfred Kaestner, Hans -Eckhard Gruner (eds.): Textbook of Special Zoology. 4th edition. Volume 1: Invertebrates; Part 4: Arthropoda (excluding Insecta ), Gustav Fischer Verlag, Stuttgart Jena New York 1993, ISBN 3334604047, pp. 996f.
Organism Phylogenetics
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