Caridean shrimps
Caridea
Classification
- Phylum: Arthropoda
- Subphylum: Crustacea
- Class: Malacostraca
- Superorder: Eucarida
- Order: Decapoda
- Infraorder: Caridea
Pronunciation
How to pronounce Caridea: //kæˈrɪdiə//
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Images
Summary
The Caridea infraorder encompasses all true shrimps, recognized for their diversity in habitat, diet, and form, as well as their economic significance in fisheries.
Physical Characteristics
Carideans have one pair of stalked eyes (usually covered by the carapace), a carapace that surrounds the gills, and a great variation in size, growing from a few millimeters to over a foot long.
Identification Tips
To differentiate Caridea from other shrimp, examine the overlap of the second abdominal segment with adjacent segments; in Caridea, the second segment overlaps both the first and third segments.
Habitat
Found in a variety of aquatic habitats, predominantly in marine environments, with around a quarter of species in freshwater; live on the sea floor.
Distribution
Carideans are found worldwide in both fresh and salt water, present on every continent except Antarctica, and inhabit depths up to 5,000 m.
Diet
Most are omnivorous; some are filter feeders, while others scrape algae or engage in predatory behaviors.
Life Cycle
Carideans brood their eggs and undergo naupliar development inside the egg, emerging as a zoea, which can have varying numbers of stages before becoming post-larval juveniles resembling adults.
Reproduction
Carideans brood their eggs and do not release them into the water, leading to the development of larvae within the egg.
Predators
Carideans are preyed upon by various animals, notably fish and seabirds.
Ecosystem Role
Carideans play significant roles in aquatic ecosystems as both predators and prey, along with their contributions to nutrient cycling.
Economic Impact
Several carideans, such as Pandalus borealis and Crangon crangon, are significant in commercial fisheries; carideans make up about 13% of global wild capture of shrimp.
Evolution
Carideans are more closely related to lobsters and crabs than to dendrobranchiates, with differing gill structures and abdominal segment overlaps.
Similar Taxa
- Dendrobranchiata
- Axiidea
- Stenopodidea
Misconceptions
Not all animals called shrimp are true shrimp; e.g., mud shrimp and boxer shrimp belong to different infraorders.
Tags
- Caridea
- shrimp
- decapod
- marine biology
- aquatic habitats