Latreilliidae
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| Latreilliidae | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Eplumula phalangium | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Malacostraca |
| Order: | Decapoda |
| Suborder: | Pleocyemata |
| Infraorder: | Brachyura |
| Section: | Dromiacea |
| Superfamily: | Homoloidea |
| Family: | Latreilliidae Stimpson, 1858 |
| Genera | |
| |
Latreilliidae is a small family of crabs. They are relatively small, long-legged crabs found on soft bottoms at depths of up 700 metres (2,300 ft) in mostly tropical and subtemperate waters around the world.[1] Their carapace is very small and doesn’t cover the bases of their legs, which protrude from the cephalothorax in a spider-like manner. The family and its type genus are named after Pierre André Latreille. The oldest known fossils from the Latreillidae have been dated to the middle of the Cretaceous period.[2] It comprises seven extant species.[3]
Most species in Latreilliidae are relatively concentrated in the Indo-Pacific region, but sometimes may be found in adjacent regions. They are usually found in the mesopelagic zone of these regions. Five of the seven species are located mainly in this region(L. metanesa, L. pennifera, L. valida, E. australiensis, and E. phalangium).[1] Sightings of some of these species have been reported outside of this region: L. metanesa have been found in seamounts in the Eastern pacific region, E. australiensis in temperate Eastern Australia, and E. phalangium in temperate Northern Japan. The two remaining species are located outside the Indo-Pacific regions: L. elegans in the Mediterranean and temperate Atlantic Ocean, and L. williamsi in the temperate South Atlantic across the eastern coast of South America.[citation needed]