Midwater
Guides
Phronima
Phronima is a genus of small, deep-sea hyperiid amphipods found throughout the world's oceans except polar regions. These semitransparent pelagic crustaceans are technically parasitoids rather than parasites: females attack salps, hollow out their gelatinous tunicates to create protective 'barrels,' and rear their young inside these structures. The genus possesses extraordinary compound eyes adapted to detect blue-green wavelengths, enabling navigation in dim mid-ocean environments where bioluminescence serves as critical ecological signals. Phronima has gained cultural recognition as a possible inspiration for the Alien Queen design in the 1986 film 'Aliens.'