Dahlella
Genus of crustaceans
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Dahlella is a genus of leptostracan crustacean which lives on hydrothermal vents in the Pacific Ocean. The only species is Dahlella caldariensis.[2]
| Dahlella | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Malacostraca |
| Order: | Leptostraca |
| Family: | Nebaliidae |
| Genus: | Dahlella Hessler, 1984 [1] |
| Species: | D. caldariensis |
| Binomial name | |
| Dahlella caldariensis Hessler, 1984 [1] | |
Description
Dahlella may reach a length of 8.1 mm (0.32 in) from the base of the rostrum to the end of the abdomen.[3] Much of the animal is covered by a large, hinged carapace. Dahlella can be distinguished from other animals in the same family by the presence of a row of denticles (small teeth) on the eyestalks, which it is believed are used to scrape surfaces for food.[4] A similar character is found in Paranebalia (Paranebaliidae), but the form of the eyestalk is very different in the two taxa.[4]
Distribution
Dahlella caldariensis has been recorded from a small number of sites around hydrothermal vents in the eastern Pacific Ocean near the Galápagos Islands and on the East Pacific Rise.[5] It is one of the deepest-living species of Leptostraca, having been found at depths of over 2,300 m (7,500 ft).[6]
Etymology
The generic name Dahlella commemorates the biologist Erik Dahl of the University of Lund. The specific epithet comes from the Latin word caldaria meaning hot bath, and is a reference to the natural habitat of D. caldariensis.[7]