Dahlella

Dahlella caldariensis
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Subphylum: Crustacea
Class: Malacostraca
Order: Leptostraca
Family: Nebaliidae
Genus: Dahlella
Hessler, 1984 [1]
Species: D. caldariensis
Binomial name
Dahlella caldariensis
Hessler, 1984 [1]

Dahlella caldariensis is a species of leptostracan crustacean which lives on hydrothermal vents in the Pacific Ocean.

Description

Dahlella may reach a length of 8.1 mm (0.32 in) from the base of the rostrum to the end of the abdomen.[2] Much of the animal is covered by a large, hinged carapace. Dahlella can be distinguished from other animals in the same family by the presence of a row of denticles (small teeth) on the eyestalks, which it is believed are used to scrape surfaces for food.[3] A similar character is found in Paranebalia (Paranebaliidae), but the form of the eyestalk is very different in the two taxa.[3]

Distribution

D. caldariensis has been recorded from a small number of sites around hydrothermal vents in the eastern Pacific Ocean near the Galápagos Islands and on the East Pacific Rise.[4] It is one of the deepest-living species of Leptostraca, having been found at depths of over 2,300 m (7,500 ft).[5]

Etymology

The generic name Dahlella commemorates the biologist Erik Dahl of the University of Lund. The specific epithet comes from the Latin word caldaria meaning hot bath, and is a reference to the natural habitat of D. caldariensis.[6]

References

  1. 1 2 R. R. Hessler (1984). "Dahlella caldariensis new genus new species - a leptostracan (Crustacea, Malacostraca) from deep-sea hydrothermal vents". Journal of Crustacean Biology 4 (4): 665–664. doi:10.2307/1548079. JSTOR 1548079.
  2. "Dahlella caldariensis". Grzimek's Animal Life Encyclopedia. 2003.
  3. 1 2 Genefor K. Walker-Smith & Gary C. B. Poore (2001). "A phylogeny of the Leptostraca (Crustacea) with keys to families and genera" (PDF). Memoirs of Museum Victoria 58 (2): 383–410.
  4. Todd Haney. "Leptostraca Specimen Database Search". Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County.
  5. Todd A. Haney, Robert R. Hessler & Joel W. Martin (2001). "Nebalia schizophthalma, a new species of leptostracan (Malacostraca) from deep waters off the east coast of the United States" (PDF). Journal of Crustacean Biology 21 (1): 192–201. doi:10.1651/0278-0372(2001)021[0192:NSANSO]2.0.CO;2. JSTOR 1549768.
  6. Todd Haney. "Synonymy". Los Angeles PEET project on Leptostraca. Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County.
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