Crustaceans

Subphylum Crustacea

The most familiar members of this subphylum are the crabs, lobsters and shrimps. Few people know that woodlice, brine shrimps, water fleas, tadpole shrimps, barnacles, copepods, ostracods, etc also belong to this subphylum.

Branchiopods (Class Branchiopoda)

This class includes the water fleas.

Barnacles and Copepods (Class Maxillopoda)

This class includes the barnacles and copepods. Barnacles are commonly seen along rock surfaces along the coastline, but there are also those which grow on animal surfaces.

Acorn Barnacles (Balanus sp.) at Sungei Serangoon ©Tan KH

Ostracods (Class Ostracoda)

This class includes the mussel shrimps.

Lobsters, Crabs, Shrimps, etc (Class Malacostraca)

Mantis Shrimps (Order Stomatopoda)

Mantis Shrimps look like shrimps, but they have forearms which are like mantis'.

Sandhoppers, etc (Order Amphipoda)

Mantis Shrimps look like shrimps, but they have forearms which are like mantis'.

Isopods (Order Isopoda)

This order includes the woodlice and sea slaters. The latter are also called sea cockroaches although they are not insects.

Sea Slater (Ligia sp.). Left: Changi Beach Park ©Melvin Dionio. Right: Sungei Serangoon ©Tan KH

Lobsters, Crabs, Shrimps, etc (Order Decapoda)

Decapods are so called for having 10 limbs.