Family TRIOPSIDAE
Introduction
Shield or tadpole shrimps are a distinctive goup of large branchiopods, and are characterised by a dorsal shield-shaped carapace partially covering a multisegmented body. The last few to many segments are limbless and the last one bears a pair of long caudal rami. Many species and varieties occur worldwide and are contained in the one family within two genera, Triops and Lepidurus (Longhurst 1955), though Murugan et al. (2002) suggest that material presently identified as Triops cancriformis could represent a third genus. Both described genera are represented by one species each in Australia (Williams 1968).
General References
Longhurst, A. 1955. A review of the Notostraca. Bulletin of the British Museum (Natural History) Zoology 3: 1- 57
Murugan, G., Maeda-Martínez, A.M., Obregón-Barboza, H. & Hernández-Saavedra, N.Y. 2002. Molecular characterization of the tadpole shrimp Triops (Branchiopoda: Notostraca) from the Baja California Peninsula, México: New insights on species diversity and phylogeny of the genus. Hydrobiologia 486: 101-113
Williams, W.D. 1968. The distribution of Triops and Lepidurus (Branchiopoda) in Australia. Crustaceana 14: 119-126
History of changes
| Published | As part of group | Action Date | Action Type | Compiler(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 09-Aug-2012 | 09-Aug-2012 | MODIFIED | ||
| 18-Aug-2010 | 18-Aug-2010 | MODIFIED | ||
| 12-Feb-2010 | (import) |