Eumalacostraca

Eumalacostraca
Atlantic blue crab, Callinectes sapidus
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Malacostraca
Subclass: Eumalacostraca
Grobben, 1892
Superorders

Eumalacostraca is a subclass of crustaceans, containing almost all living malacostracans, or about 40,000 described species.[1] The remaining subclasses are the Phyllocarida and possibly the Hoplocarida.[2] Eumalacostracans have 19 segments (5 cephalic, 8 thoracic and 6 abdominal). This arrangement is known as the "caridoid facies", a term coined by William Thomas Calman in 1909. The thoracic limbs are jointed and used for swimming or walking. The common ancestor is thought to have had a carapace, and most living species possess one, but it has been lost in some subgroups.

  1. ^ Gary C. B. Poore (2002). "Introduction". Crustacea: Malacostraca. Zoological catalogue of Australia. Vol. 19.2A. CSIRO Publishing. pp. 1–7. ISBN 978-0-643-06901-5.
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference M&D was invoked but never defined (see the help page).