Pseudoprotella phasma
| Pseudoprotella phasma | ||||||||||||
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| Systematics | ||||||||||||
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Pseudoprotella phasma | ||||||||||||
| Montagu |
Pseudoprotella phasma belongs to the order of amphipods .
Appearance
It grows up to 2.5 centimeters and feeds on plankton . The males are usually larger than the females. The second and third pairs of legs are converted to catch prey, the fourth and fifth pairs of legs are reduced, and the sixth to eighth pairs of legs are used for locomotion.
Occurrence
It lives off the British Isles and in the English Channel as well as in the Bay of Biscay , in the Mediterranean to Greece , in the North Sea , off Spain and around South Africa .
Way of life
The species lives hunting. They prefer to live on hydroid polyps and never leave them. They are well camouflaged.
Systematics and taxonomy
The flea shrimp was described as Protella phasma by George Montagu in 1804 . Since 1970 it has been included in the genus Pseudoprotella .
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b Sea Water Lexicon: Skeleton Shrimp , accessed on August 4, 2015