Astacidea
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Astacidea Temporal range: Middle Permian - present | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Adriatic lobster | |
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| Crayfish: Austropotamobius pallipes | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Malacostraca |
| Order: | Decapoda |
| Suborder: | Pleocyemata |
| Clade: | Reptantia |
| Infraorder: | Astacidea Latreille, 1802 |
| Superfamilies | |
Astacidea is an infraorder of decapod crustaceans including lobsters (but not "lobsters" such as the spiny lobster etc.), crayfish, and their close relatives.
The Astacidea are distinguished from most other decapods by the presence of chelae (claws) on each of the first three pairs of pereiopods (walking legs), the first of which is much larger than the remaining two pairs.[1] The last two pairs of pereiopods are simple (without claws), except in Thaumastocheles, where the fifth pereiopod may have "a minute pincer".[2]
Distribution
Members of the infraorder Astacidea are found throughout the world – both in the oceans and in fresh water – except for mainland Africa and parts of Asia.[3]
