Notostraca

Notostraca
Temporal range: Famennian–Recent
Triops australiensis
Lepidurus apus
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Branchiopoda
Superorder: Calmanostraca
Order: Notostraca
G. O. Sars, 1867
Genera
  • Lepidurus Leach, 1819
  • Triops Schrank, 1803
  • Fossil genera and species, see text

The order Notostraca, containing the single family Triopsidae, is a group of crustaceans known as tadpole shrimp[1] or shield shrimp.[2] The two genera, Triops and Lepidurus, are considered living fossils, with similar forms having existed since the end of the Devonian, around 360 million years ago. They have a broad, flat carapace, which conceals the head and bears a single pair of compound eyes. The abdomen is long, appears to be segmented and bears numerous pairs of flattened legs. The telson is flanked by a pair of long, thin caudal rami. Phenotypic plasticity within taxa makes species-level identification difficult, and is further compounded by variation in the mode of reproduction. Notostracans are omnivores living on the bottom of temporary pools and shallow lakes.

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference Light was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ J. K. Lowry (October 2, 1999). "Notostraca (Branchiopoda)". Crustacea, the Higher Taxa: Description, Identification, and Information Retrieval. Archived from the original on July 23, 2011. Retrieved February 7, 2011.