Carcinology is a branch of zoology that consists of the study of crustaceans. Crustaceans are a large class of arthropods classified by having a hard exoskeleton made of chitin or chitin and calcium, three body regions, and jointed, paired appendages.[1] Crustaceans include lobsters, crayfish, shrimp, krill, copepods, barnacles and crabs.[2] Most crustaceans are aquatic, but some can be terrestrial, sessile, or parasitic. Other names for carcinology are malacostracology, crustaceology, and crustalogy, and a person who studies crustaceans is a carcinologist or occasionally a malacostracologist, a crustaceologist, or a crustalogist.
The word carcinology derives from Greek καρκίνος, karkínos, "crab"; and -λογία, -logia.
Subfields
Carcinology is a subdivision of arthropodology, the study of arthropods which includes arachnids, insects, and myriapods.[3] Carcinology branches off into taxonomically oriented disciplines such as:[4]
- astacology – the study of crayfish
- cirripedology – the study of barnacles
- copepodology – the study of copepods
Journals
Scientific journals devoted to the study of crustaceans include:
