#malacostraca

Early in my trilobitic education, I got the mistaken impression that furrows (grooves) were the site of muscle attachement. This is mostly incorrect--grooves, if viewed from the inside are ridges, and have limited space for muscles to attach. See this image for an example from the carapace of a decapod crab (modified from Klompmaker et al 2019). #crustacea #decapoda #malacostraca
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On the 31th and final day of #Crustmas my true love gave to me the fossil Rosagammarus minichiellus McMenamin et al 2013 from the Triassic Luning Formation in Nevada. This particular fossil has had an interesting path of reinterpretation. Buckle up!
#crustacea #arthropoda #paleontology #palaeontology #fossil #malacostraca #amphipoda #nevada #invertfest #invertefest
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On the 28th day of #Crustmas my true love gave to me the fossil talitrid amphipod Caecorchestia bousfieldi Hegna & Lazo-Wasem in Hegna et al 2020. Yes, I was somewhat involved in naming this one . . .
The cool thing about this amphipod is that it is preserved in amber. Typically, we associate amber with trees. And, we associate amphipods with water. How could these two meet? #crustacea #arthropoda #amphipoda #malacostraca #fossil
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On the 25th day of #Crustmas my true love gave to me a mantis shrimp, Odontodactylus scyllarus Linnaeus, 1758. This stomatopod crustacean is both beautiful and deadly. At the front end of O. scyllarus, it carries a superpowered, superfast biological hammer.
#arthropoda #crustacea #malacostraca #stomatopoda #invertfest
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On the 22nd day of #Crustmas my true love gave to me Nebalia bipes Fabricius, 1780. This diminutive, marine crustacean is a part of the order Leptostraca, within the Malacostraca. They are typically in the range of 1 cm long, and have a 'bivalved' carapace that in reality is articulated by a fold. It is more of a taco-shell-shaped carapace. At the front the have stalked eyes and a rostrum, at the back, their shrimp-like tail sticks out. #crustacea #arthropoda #malacostraca

On the 21st day of #Crustmas my true love gave to me Bathynomus giganteus A. Milne-Edwards, 1879. This giant deep sea isopod approaches the size and cuddliness of a human infant. Claims of 30 inch specimens are out there, but 20 inches is more likely. Still, that is pretty big. #crustacea #arthropoda #isopoda #malacostraca
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On the 20th day of #Crustmas my true love gave to me a mountain shrimp, Anaspides tasmaniae Thompson, 1892. This is another modern crustacean that also deserves the title 'living fossil,' if the term can be meaningfully applied. The group of mountain shrimp (Syncarida) were known from fossils several decades before modern representatives were discovered. #arthropoda #crustacea #malacostraca
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On the 19th day of #Crustmas my true love gave to me a snapping shrimp. Also called a pistol shrimp, these diminutive members of a family of caridean shrimps called the Alpheidae. When working out, they never skip arm day. Well, at least on that one side.
Picture from: https://a-z-animals.com/blog/the-deadly-powers-of-pistol-shrimps/
#crustacea #arthropoda #malacostraca #decapoda
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Here’s the reported “fiddler crab on steroids.” Now, although not a fiddler - it’s a blue land crab, Cardisoma guanhumi - I will admit that I would be startled hearing scratching at my office door, opening it to find this not-small asymmetrically-clawed crustacean. A museum curator’s job is never dull. #crustmas #crustacea #crustaceans #crabs #collection #CollectionsCare #digitization #25daysofcrustmas #malacostraca #museumspecimen #decapoda

Every so often we stumble across a specimen record that makes us laugh for days. This is one of them. We recently acquired the South Carolina DNR’s Southeast Regional Taxonomic Center marine collection, and are working to integrate the metadata into our database. #crabs #crustacea #crustaceans #MuseumCollections #museum #CollectionsCare #curation #crustmas #25daysofcrustmas #malacostraca

On the 14th day of #Crustmas my true love gave to me Kiwa hirsuta MacPherson, Jones, & Segonzac, 2006. This cutie is also known as the yeti crab. It is a deep water anomuran, living near hydrothermal vents at over 7,000 ft down (over 2,000 m). K. hirsuta likes it hot and deep. #crustacea #arthropoda #decapoda #malacostraca #yeti
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On the 13th day of #Crustmas my true love gave to me Cymothoa exigua Schiødte & Meinert, 1884. Actually, C. exigua is NOT something your true love would give you. For those who want only sweet dreams, I beg that you turn away now. #isopoda #crustacea #arthropoda #malacostraca #damnnatureyouscary #nightmarefuel
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Yesterday, on the 10th day of #Crustmas my true love gave to me Ixa cylindrus (Fabricius, 1777). This little pebble crab belongs to the family Leucosiidae. Looking at the picture below, one is left with the obvious question: what the hell are the lateral projections off the carapace for? #crustacea #arthropoda #malacostraca #decapoda
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