Gastrosaccus spinifer
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Gastrosaccus spinifer | |
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Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Malacostraca |
| Order: | Mysida |
| Family: | Mysidae |
| Genus: | Gastrosaccus |
| Species: | G. spinifer |
| Binomial name | |
| Gastrosaccus spinifer (Goës, 1864)[1] | |
Gastrosaccus spinifer is a shrimp-like crustacean in the order Mysida, the opossum shrimps, native to the eastern Atlantic Ocean and the coasts of Northern and Western Europe.
Gastrosaccus spinifer is a slender opossum shrimp, somewhat laterally compressed, and growing to a length of about 21 mm (0.8 in). It is transparent with tinges of yellow, or brownish pink around the mouthparts, by the edges of the segments and on the telson (tail-like projection from the last abdominal segment). The carapace has a short fringe round its margin. As in other female opossum shrimps, the biramous (branching) pereopods (limbs on the thorax) form a marsupium or brood pouch. In this species there are two plate-like appendages attached to the front abdominal segment which fold under the brood pouch to protect it. This gives the female a rhomboidal shape when viewed from the side.[2] The chief distinguishing factor for this species is the fact that the fifth abdominal segment is slender and has a long spine on its dorsal surface.[1]