North-atlantic
Guides
Aeginina
skeleton shrimp
Aeginina is a genus of caprellid amphipods containing at least two described species: Aeginina longicornis and Aeginina aenigmatica. These small crustaceans are commonly known as skeleton shrimp due to their elongated, stick-like appearance. The genus was established by Norman in 1905 and occurs in marine environments of the North Atlantic.
Calliopiidae
Calliopiidae is a family of hyperbenthic amphipods distributed across the North Atlantic and North Pacific oceans. Members inhabit diverse marine environments including subtidal waters, hydrothermal vents, and the hyperbenthic zone immediately above the seafloor. The family includes the newly described genus Bathya from deep-sea hydrothermal vents and Calliopius species associated with macroalgae.
Calliopius laeviusculus
Planktonic Amphipod
Calliopius laeviusculus is a marine amphipod crustacean distributed across the North Atlantic in both European and North American waters. The species exhibits a semiannual life cycle in southern parts of its range, with overwintering adults releasing young in spring and early summer. Population dynamics are tightly coupled to seasonal food availability, particularly capelin egg deposits. Multiple generations per year occur in warmer regions, while single-generation annual cycles prevail in colder northern waters.
Cancer irroratus
Atlantic rock crab, peekytoe crab
A medium-sized marine crab native to the western North Atlantic, ranging from Iceland to South Carolina. Adults reach 133 mm carapace width and can live up to 8 years. The species occupies depths from intertidal zones to 790 m. It has become commercially significant as the 'peekytoe crab' and has established non-native populations in Iceland via ballast water transport.
Ericthonius
Ericthonius is a genus of marine amphipod crustaceans in the family Ischyroceridae, first described by H. Milne Edwards in 1830. The genus contains at least 20 described species, with records from marine coastal waters of northern Europe. These small crustaceans are part of the diverse benthic communities inhabiting shallow marine environments.
Gammarus mucronatus
scud
Gammarus mucronatus is a small amphipod crustacean first described in 1818. It is a dominant species in salt marsh and estuarine habitats along the North American Atlantic coast and Gulf of Mexico. The species is multivoltine, producing multiple broods per season with overlapping cohorts. It serves as an important food source for fish and other predators while contributing significantly to energy flow and nutrient cycling in coastal ecosystems.
Haustoriidae
Haustoriidae is a family of amphipod crustaceans characterized by stout, robust bodies adapted for burrowing in sandy sediments. They are dominant members of intertidal and shallow subtidal sandy beach communities along the Atlantic coast of North America, with some species extending into the Gulf of Mexico and Pacific coast. The family radiated during the Eocene, with the Pacific-endemic genus Eohaustorius representing the most basal lineage, diverging approximately 31 million years ago. Haustoriidae are distinguished from other amphipod families by their specialized morphology for sand-burrowing and their limited dispersal capabilities, which have resulted in strong population structure and cryptic diversity across their range.
Homarus
true lobsters, clawed lobsters
Homarus is a genus of large marine clawed lobsters containing two extant species: the American lobster (H. americanus) and the European lobster (H. gammarus). These are among the most commercially valuable crustaceans globally. The genus is distinguished by pronounced claw dimorphism, with one crushing claw and one cutting claw. Eight extinct species are known from the fossil record dating to the Cretaceous.