Bodotriidae


Bodotriidae is a family of crustaceans belonging to the order Cumacea. Bodotriidae is a family of crustaceans belonging to the order Cumacea. Bodotriids have a worldwide distribution in shallow and deep waters. There are over 380 described species in over 30 genera, being the most diverse cumacean family. Their external morphology is differentiated the one of other cumaceans by a combination of traits that independently are not unique to the family: telson fused to the last abdominal segment, dorsal part of the mandible has a boat shape, exopods on the third maxilliped and first peraeopod, and uropodal endopod with one or two articles.

Anatomy

In both sexes the telson is fused with the last segment of the pleon, forming a "pleotelson". Males generally have five pairs of pleopods, although less often there may be three, two or they may be entirely absent. In females the second antenna is substantially shorter than the first. The third maxillipeds always have exopods, and there are endopods on one or two segments of the uropods.

Diversity

Bodotriidae is divided into three subfamilies, although it has been suggested that Mancocumatinae belong to the Vaunthompsoniinae :
;Bodotriinae Scott, 1901
;Mancocumatinae Watling, 1977
;Vaunthompsoniinae