Crustacea

By: Phil and Spencer

Phylogenetic Tree of Crustacea

Classification

• The class crustacea fits into the phylum Anthropoda and the kingdom Animalia

• To be a apart of the class Crustacea, you must have an exoskeleton that is grouped into three parts, cephalon (head), the thorax, and the pleon (abdomen)

• Crustaceans have to have two antennae• Also have to have gills for breathing• Crustacea like crayfish, lobsters and crabs excrete waste

similar to humans through their anus but the American lobster has have two urinary bladders on each side of their heads where they urinate from.

Taxonomy for the American Lobster

Kingdom Animalia

Phylum Arthropoda

Subphylum Crustacea

Class Malacostraca

Order Decapoda

Family Nephropidae

Genus Homarus

Species Homarus americanus

Taxonomy for the Japanese Spider Crab

Kingdom Animalia

Phylum Arthropoda

Subphylum Crustaea

Class Malacostraca

Order Decapoda

Family Inachidae

Genus Macrocheira

Species Macrocheira kaempferi

Taxonomy of Christmas Island Red Crab

Kingdom Animalia

Phylum Arthropoda

Subphylum Crustaea

Class Malacostraca

Order Decapoda

Family Gecarcinidae

Genus Gecarcoidae

Species Gecarcoidae natalis

Life Cycle of the American Lobster

Pistol Shrimp Food Getting and Locomotion

• Pistol Shrimps have claws they use to grab and tear their prey apart

• They have a powerful tail at the end of their body that can propel them through the water

Qualities of Crustacea

• Crustaceans have an open circulatory system that transports substances through their bodies by a heart that pumps blood into body cavities, where tissues are surrounded by the blood

• They exchange gases with gills that take in oxygen and release carbon dioxide

• Many crustaceans feed on dead creatures and digest them by using stomach acid, much like humans

Interesting Fact #1

• A Japanese spider crab has a 12ft leg span and can weigh up to 40 pounds

Interesting Fact #2

• The Stygotantulus stocki is the smallest crustacea at 0.1mm in length

Interesting Fact #3

• Lobsters can produce noises. According to the University of California, lobsters have a mechanism of producing sound similar to a violin. The lobster drags its antenna across bumps next to its eyes to create the noise.

Bibliography

• http://www.ehow.com/about_6292974_interesting-crustaceans.html

• http://www.mesa.edu.au/crustaceans/default.asp• http://www.watsonvillewetlandswatch.org/fish.htm• http://www.zmescience.com/tag/crustacean/• http://www2.gsu.edu/~bioasx/closeopen.html