Eusirus holmii (Hansen, 1887)
A large multi-realm amphipod of the Arctic
Size
- Juveniles 4 mm
- Adults up to 4 cm
Color & Characteristics
- Whitish body with redish-brown and orange highlights
- Redish eyes, intermediate in size
- Well-developed grasping claws on first 2 pairs of legs
- Dorsal margin of abdomen with medial ridges ending in prominent rear-directed spiked processes
- Antennae as long as body
Habitat
- Panarctic
- Inhabits sea ice, water column, and seafloor
- Generally in deep-basin waters
Feeding
- Predatory on a wide range of invertebrates
- Prey captured and held by forelimbs
Life cycle
- Several hundred eggs are laid into brood pouch late each season
- Eggs hatch during summer
- Period of retention of hatched juveniles within marsupium unclear
- Life expectancy not known, likely 3-5 years
Page Author: Russ Hopcroft
Created: Feb 4, 2009
