Bathynellacea
Order of crustaceans
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Bathynellacea is an order of crustaceans which live interstitially in groundwater.[3] Some species can tolerate low salt concentrations, and at least one African species is a thermophile, living in hot springs and tolerating temperatures up to 55 °C (131 °F).[citation needed] Bathynellaceans are minute, blind, worm-like animals with short, weak legs,[4] reaching a maximum size of 3.4 millimetres (0.13 in).[5] They are found on every continent except Antarctica, although they are missing from some islands, including Fiji, New Caledonia and the Caribbean islands.[citation needed] There are two families, Bathynellidae and Parabathynellidae; a third family, "Leptobathynellidae", is considered a synonym of Parabathynellidae.[6]
| Bathynellacea | |
|---|---|
| |
| Bathynella chappuisi | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Malacostraca |
| Superorder: | Syncarida |
| Order: | Bathynellacea Chappuis, 1915 [1][2] |
| Families[1] | |
| |
