Dendrogaster antarctica
Species of barnacle
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Dendrogaster antarctica is an endoparasitic ascothoracid in the family Dendrogastridae that parasitizes on the common Antarctica cushion star, Odontaster validus.[2] It has been found in several sites in Antarctica and was originally discovered by Mark J. Grygier in 1980.[3] He then released an article in 1987 explaining the characteristics of a female member of the species.[4] It was confirmed as an official species in 2003.[5]
| Dendrogaster antarctica | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Clade: | Pancrustacea |
| Class: | Thecostraca |
| Order: | Dendrogastrida |
| Family: | Dendrogastridae |
| Genus: | Dendrogaster |
| Species: | D. antarctica |
| Binomial name | |
| Dendrogaster antarctica Grygier (1980)[1] | |
It has extremely small sperm. Their heads are 6–7 μm, long, The midpiece is as long as the head, and tapers to a flagellum 45–50 μm long. This sperm is the most primitive yet found in crustaceans.[6]
