Scyllarides facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Scyllarides |
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| Scyllarides latus | |
Scientific classification  |
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| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Subphylum: | Crustacea |
| Class: | Malacostraca |
| Order: | Decapoda |
| Family: | Scyllaridae |
| Subfamily: | Arctidinae |
| Genus: | Scyllarides Gill, 1898 |
| Type species | |
| Scyllarus aequinoctialis Lund, 1793
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Scyllarides is a group of amazing sea creatures known as slipper lobsters. These lobsters get their name because their bodies are flat and wide, looking a bit like a slipper! They live in the ocean and are part of a larger family of crustaceans.
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What Makes Scyllarides Special?
Scyllarides lobsters belong to a special group called Arctidinae. What makes them unique are some of their body parts. For example, they have special leg-like parts near their mouths called maxillipeds. These have many small segments, like tiny jointed arms. They also have a three-part palp on their mandible, which is like a jaw.
How Scyllarides Differ from Relatives
There's another group of lobsters called Arctides that are very similar to Scyllarides. However, you can tell them apart! Arctides lobsters have a rougher, more bumpy shell, called a carapace. They also have an extra spine right behind each eye. Plus, they have a groove across the first part of their tail section, which Scyllarides lobsters do not have.
The History of Scyllarides' Name
The way scientists name and group animals can be a bit tricky! In 1849, a scientist named Wilhem de Haan was studying a group of lobsters called Scyllarus. He tried to split them into two new groups: Scyllarus and Arctus.
Correcting a Naming Mistake
However, De Haan made a small mistake. He accidentally put the main example species of Scyllarus into his new Arctus group. Years later, in 1898, another scientist named Theodore Gill noticed this error. To fix it, he decided that Arctus was actually the same as Scyllarus. Then, he created a brand new group, or genus, called Scyllarides. This new group included all the lobsters that De Haan had mistakenly left in his original Scyllarus group.
Types of Scyllarides Lobsters
There are many different kinds of Scyllarides lobsters living today. Here are some of the known species:
- Scyllarides aequinoctialis (Lund, 1793)
- Scyllarides astori Holthuis, 1960
- Scyllarides brasiliensis Rathbun, 1906
- Scyllarides deceptor Holthuis, 1963
- Scyllarides delfosi Holthuis, 1960
- Scyllarides elisabethae (Ortmann, 1894)
- Scyllarides haanii (De Haan, 1841)
- Scyllarides herklotsii (Herklots, 1851)
- Scyllarides latus (Latreille, 1802)
- Scyllarides nodifer (Stimpson, 1866)
- Scyllarides obtusus Holthuis, 1993
- Scyllarides roggeveeni Holthuis, 1967
- Scyllarides squammosus (H. Milne-Edwards, 1837)
- Scyllarides tridacnophaga Holthuis, 1967
Ancient Scyllarides Lobsters
Scientists have also found evidence of Scyllarides lobsters that lived a very long time ago! These are called extinct species, meaning they no longer exist today. Two of these ancient species have been found as fossils in Europe. They lived during a time period called the Eocene epoch.
- Scyllarides bolcensis de Angeli & Garassino, 2008
- Scyllarides tuberculatus (König, 1825)
