Galatheacaris
Genus of crustaceans
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Galatheacaris abyssalis is a rare species of shrimp, now thought to be a larval stage of another genus, Eugonatonotus.
| Galatheacaris | |
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| Superfamily: | Galatheacaridoidea Vereshchaka, 1997 |
| Family: | Galatheacarididae Vereshchaka, 1997 |
| Genus: | Galatheacaris Vereshchaka, 1997 |
| Species: | G. abyssalis |
| Binomial name | |
| Galatheacaris abyssalis Vereshchaka, 1997 | |
It was described in 1997 on the basis of a single specimen caught in the Celebes Sea at a depth of 5,000 metres (16,000 ft). It was seen to be so different from previously known shrimp species that a new family, Galatheacarididae, and superfamily, Galatheacaridoidea, were erected for it.[1] Later, more specimens were found in the stomach of a lancetfish, Alepisaurus ferox.[2]
The species shares some plesiomorphies with Procaris, and the two taxa were thought to be closely related.[3] Molecular phylogenetic analyses showed that Galatheacaris abyssalis had such similar mitochondrial DNA to that of Eugonatonotus chacei that the two must be considered conspecific; it is now thought that Galatheacaris is the megalopa stage of Eugonatonotus.[4]