Thermosbaenacea

Thermosbaena mirabilis, from Michigan Science Art.

Belongs within: Eumalacostraca.

The Thermosbaenacea are a group of small crustaceans that are only known from cave or marine interstitial habitats. Many species are found in waters with raised salinities.

Characters (from Stock 1986): Small (≤4 mm); strictly stygobiont. Carapace fused with first thoracomere; dorsal brood pouch present in female, internally connected with branchial chamber; oostegites absent. Free larval stages absent. Adults with five (Thermosbaena) or seven pereiopods. Penis present on 8th thoracomere of male.

<==Thermosbaenacea [Pancarida]
    |--Tulumellidae MD01
    |--Halosbaena Stock 1976 S86 [Halosbaenidae MD01]
    |    `--H. acanthura Stock 1976 S86
    `--+--Thermosbaenidae MD01
       |    |--Theobaena cambodjana Cals & Boutin 1985 S86
       |    |--Thermosbaena Monod 1924 S86
       |    |    `--T. mirabilis Monod 1924 S86
       |    `--Limnosbaena Stock 1976 S86
       |         `--L. finki (Meštrov & Lattinger-Penko 1969) S86
       `--Monodella Ruffo 1949 S86 [Monodellidae MD01]
            |--M. argentarii Stella 1951 [incl. M. halophila Karaman 1953] S86
            |--M. atlantomaroccana Cals 1985 S86
            |--M. relicta Por 1962 S86
            |--M. sanctaecrucis Stock 1976 S86
            |--M. somala Chelazzi & Messana 1982 S86
            |--M. stygicola Ruffo 1949 S86
            `--M. texana Maguire 1965 S86

*Type species of generic name indicated

REFERENCES

[MD01] Martin, J. W., & G. E. Davis. 2001. An updated classification of the Recent Crustacea. Natural History Museum Los Angeles County, Science Series 39: 1-124.

[S86] Stock, J. H. 1986. Thermosbaenacea. In Stygofauna Mundi: A Faunistic, Distributional, and Ecological Synthesis of the World Fauna inhabiting Subterranean Waters (including the Marine Interstitial) (L. Botosaneanu, ed.) pp. 585-588. E. J. Brill / Dr. W. Backhuys: Leiden.