Crustaceans
Crustaceans are a group of invertebrate animals consisting of some 45,000 species worldwide. Crabs, lobsters, and shrimps are all counted among the subphylum Crustacea. Crustaceans are found primarily in water, as noted by Sebastian the crab in Disney’s “The Little Mermaid” (1989).
Crustaceans Encyclopedia Articles
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pea crab
Pea crab, any member of a genus (Pinnotheres) of crabs (order Decapoda) living in the mantle cavity of certain bivalve mollusks, echinoderms, and polychaetes as a commensal (i.e., on or in another animal...
pill bug
Pill bug, any of the terrestrial crustaceans of the families Armadillididae and Armadillidae (order Isopoda). When disturbed, the pill bug rolls itself up into a tiny ball. Like the related sow bug (q.v.),...
branchiopod
Branchiopod, any of the roughly 800 species of the class Branchiopoda (subphylum Crustacea, phylum Arthropoda). They are aquatic animals that include brine shrimp, fairy shrimp, tadpole shrimp, water fleas,...
sand flea
Sand flea, any of more than 60 terrestrial crustaceans of the family Talitridae (order Amphipoda) that are notable for their hopping ability. The European sand flea (Talitrus saltator), which is about...
crustacean louse
Crustacean louse, any of various small aquatic invertebrates of the subphylum Crustacea (phylum Arthropoda) that are parasites of fish. Crustacean lice include fish lice (subclass Branchiura), copepod...
brine shrimp
Brine shrimp, (genus Artemia), any of several small crustaceans of the order Anostraca (class Branchiopoda) inhabiting brine pools and other highly saline inland waters throughout the world. Measuring...
coconut crab
Coconut crab, (Birgus latro), large nocturnal land crab of the southwest Pacific and Indian oceans. It is closely related to the hermit crab and king crab. All are decapod crustaceans (order Decapoda,...
giant crab
Giant crab, (Macrocheira kaempferi), species of spider crab (q.v.) native to Pacific waters near Japan. It occurs at depths of 50 to 300 m (150 to 1,000 feet). The largest specimens may be up to 3.7 m...
mustache shrimp
Mustache shrimp, any member of the crustacean subclass Mystacocarida, a small group of primitive, free-living marine animals. Of the few species known, the first was discovered near Woods Hole, Mass.,...
hermit crab
Hermit crab, any crab of the families Paguridae and Coenobitidae (order Decapoda of the class Crustacea). These crabs use empty snail shells (e.g., whelk or periwinkle) or other hollow objects as a shelter...
lobster
Lobster, any of numerous marine crustaceans (phylum Arthropoda, order Decapoda) constituting the families Homaridae (or Nephropsidae), true lobsters; Palinuridae, spiny lobsters, or sea crayfish; Scyllaridae,...
krill
Krill, any member of the crustacean order Euphausiacea or of the genus Euphausia within that suborder. Euphausiids are shrimplike marine animals that are pelagic in habit (i.e., they live in the open sea)....
mantis shrimp
Mantis shrimp, any member of the marine crustacean order Stomatopoda, especially members of the genus Squilla. Mantis shrimps are so called because the second pair of limbs are greatly enlarged and shaped...
fiddler crab
Fiddler crab, any of the approximately 65 species of the genus Uca (order Decapoda of the subphylum Crustacea). They are named “fiddler” because the male holds one claw, always much larger than the other,...