Bennelongia
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| Bennelongia | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Ostracoda |
| Order: | Podocopida |
| Family: | Cyprididae |
| Subfamily: | Cypridinae |
| Genus: | Bennelongia De Deckker & McKenzie, 1981 |
Bennelongia is a genus of ostracod crustaceans in the family Cyprididae. It is probably endemic to Australia and New Zealand,[1] and is predicted to be highly diverse. The genus was described in 1981 and named after Woollarawarre Bennelong, the first aboriginal to have a long association with the early European settlers of Australia.[2] Prior to 2012, six species were described in Australia. There are currently 15 species of Bennelongia.[1][3] Bennelongia may be the last true descendant genus of the Mesozoic (and now extinct) lineage of Cypridea, which was a dominant lineage of ostracod in non-marine waters in the Cretaceous.[4]
