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Hymendora glacialis Hymendora glacialis protozoea  
Hymendora glacialis Hymendora glacialis protozoea  
     
     
     
     

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Decapods

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Decapod means “ten footed”. This group includes the most advanced crustaceans: the lobsters, crabs and shrimps. Most decapods have a pelagic larval phase used to spread the population, but with the exception of the shrimps most are strictly benthic as adults. Even within the shrimp, most species live close to the bottom rather then high up in the water column. Within the Arctic there are only two species (closely related) that are considered truly pelagic as an adult. The adults of these shrimp are only 3-5 cm in body length.

We don’t know much about the specific biology of these species, or their role in Arctic food webs. They avoid surface waters preferring greater depth. Like most shrimps, they will go through 3 different types of larval stages (nauplius, protozoea, mysis) before becoming a juvenile that resembles the adult. The juveniles and adults will have an unfixed number of stages. 

 

Page Author: Russ Hopcroft
Created: January 13, 2008

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