Multicrustacea

The clade[1][2][3][4] Multicrustacea constitutes the largest superclass of crustaceans, containing approximately four-fifths of all described crustacean species, including crabs, lobsters, crayfish, shrimp, krill, prawns, woodlice, barnacles, copepods, amphipods, mantis shrimp and others. The largest branch of multicrustacea is the class Malacostraca (see below).

Multicrustacea
Temporal range: Middle Cambrian–Present
A diversity of different crustaceans, a group of segmented animals: Sally lightfoot crab (Grapsus grapsus), European lobster (Homarus gammarus), Red swamp crayfish (Procambarus clarkii), Pacific cleaner shrimp (Lysmata amboinensis), Antarctic krill (Euphasia superba), Hemilepistus reaumuri, Calanoida, and Pelagic gooseneck barnacle (Lepas anatifera).
From left to right and from top to bottom: Grapsus grapsus (a crab), Homarus gammarus (a lobster), Procambarus clarkii (a crayfish), Lysmata amboinensis (a shrimp), Euphausia superba (a krill), Hemilepistus reaumuri (a woodlouse), Calanoida (a copepod), and Lepas anatifera (a barnacle)
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain:Eukaryota
Kingdom:Animalia
Phylum:Arthropoda
Clade:Pancrustacea
Superclass:Multicrustacea
Regier, Shultz, Zwick, Hussey, Ball, Wetzer, Martin & Cunningham, 2010
Classes

Classification

Superclass Multicrustacea Regier, Shultz, Zwick, Hussey, Ball, Wetzer, Martin & Cunningham, 2010 [5]


Notes:

Fossil record

The earliest fossils representative of Multicrustacea are from the Cambrian.[8] However, the more specific timeline is uncertain. Some Cambrian fossils of uncertain taxonomic placement, such as those of Priscansermarinus, are nonetheless likely to be members of Multicrustacea.[citation needed]

Image gallery

Taxonomic references

Notes and references

  1. World Register of Marine Species, accessed 13 April 2016