Subclass TANTULOCARIDA Boxshall & Lincoln, 1983

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Introduction

The Class Tantulocarida are minute crustaceans living as external parasites on other crustaceans. While the first individuals were recognised at the beginning of the 20th century the class was not diagnosed until 1983. Now, 36 species in 24 genera and four families are recognised (Boxshall, 2009). Tantulocarids have a life cycle involving a sexual cycle with free adults and another presumed asexual or parthenogenetic within the host (Boxshall & Lincoln, 1987; Boxshall, 1996). A so-called tantulus larva linking the two is 85-180 microns long, comprising an anterior section (prosome) of a head and six thoracomeres plus a posterior section (urosome) of two to six somites. The head is covered by a shield bearing several pores, sensillae and lamellae, but appendages are absent. The tantulus attaches permanently to its host using a stylet on the oral disc, Feeding is through a pore in a small radical near the stylet. Each of the thoracic somites carries a pair of limbs. The parthenogenetic female also attaches permanently to its host, storing eggs in the flexible truck modified as a sac at the end of a long stalk. When the eggs are mature the female can reach 2 mm in length. The free-swimming sexual male, up to 0.5 mm long, comprises a long head incorporating two thoracic somites, four free thoracic somites with limbs, a fifth genital thoracic somite with a penis, and one abdominal somite. The sexual female is poorly equipped for swimming, also up to 0.5 mm long, comprises a head incorporating two thoracic somites plus five free thoracic somites. Both sexes feed only early in their growth when attached to the host. The only limbs are antennules and two pairs of thoracic legs. Tantulocarids are obligatory external parasites of copepods, myodocopid ostracods, tanaidaceans, amphipods, isopods and cumaceans. They have been found in most marine environments.

General References

Boxshall, G. 2009. Tantulocarida. In: Walter, T.C., Boxshall, G. (Eds) (2009). World Copepoda database. Accessed through: World Register of Marine Species. http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=1083 on 2010-08-11

Boxshall, G.A. 1996. Classe des Tantulocarides (Tantulocarida Boxshall et Lincoln, 1983). pp. 399-408 in Forest, J. (ed.). Traité de Zoologie. Anatomie, Systématique, Biologie. Publié sous la direction de Pierre-P. Grassé. Tome VII. Crustacés. Fascicule 2. Généralités (suite) et systématique (Céphalocarides à Syncarides). Paris : Masson éditeur 1002 pp.

Boxshall, G.A. & Lincoln, R. 1987. The life cycle of the Tantulocarida (Crustacea). Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B. Biological Sciences 315: 267-303

Boxshall, G.A. & Lincoln, R.J. 1983. Tantulocarida, a new class of Crustacea ectoparasitic on other crustaceans. Journal of Crustacean Biology 3: 1-16

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