CLASSIFICATION OF CAPRELLA
PHYLUM :- ARTHROPODA (Jointed appendages.)
CLASS :- CRUSTACEA (Exoskeleton thick, antennae 2 pairs, jaws 3 pairs.)
SUB-CLASS :- MALACOSTRACA (Free-living Crustacea with compound eyes, biramous antennules. mandibles. 8 thoracic and 6 abdominal segments having appendages. )
ORDER :- AMPHIPODA (Carapace absent. body elongated and laterally compressed.)
GENUS :- . Caprella
GEOGRAPHICAL DISTRIBUTION
It has cosmopolitan distribution. Specially found in U.S.A., Alaska to Santa Barbara.
HABIT AND HABITAT
Caprella lives in association of seaweeds, hydroid and polyzoan colonies.
GENERAL CHARACTERSTICS OF CAPRELLA
- It is a known as no-body crab with peculiar and extremely slender body and limbs.
- Body has elongated segments, consisting of cephalothorax and abdomen.
- First thoracic segments fuse with head forming cephalothorax containing eyes, antennules and antennae. Antennae are shorter than antennules.
- First antennae longer than the second.
- Thorax has six free segments and contains heart.
- Gills confined to third and fourth free thoracic segments on which the legs may be wanting while the rest have sub-chelate walking legs.
- Abdomen reduced to a small knob bearing a pair of rudimentary legs in the male.
- Male is smaller than the female. Structure of male is like female.
- It resembles in colour and form with polyzoan hydroid to which it mimics. It holds on by 3 pairs of long posterior prehensile thoracic legs.
IDENTIFICATION
The animal contains elongated cephalothorax and all above features, hence it is Caprella.
