Pleocyemata

Subrder of decapods (decapoda)

Food, Animal source foods, Arthropods (Arthropoda), Crustaceans (Crustacea), Decapods (Decapoda)

Consumption area(s): Earth

Introduction

Pleocyemata represents a major suborder within the decapod crustaceans. It brings together a wide range of species, encompassing nearly all of the most familiar forms.

Description of Pleocyemata

All Pleocyemata share several defining traits, the most notable being their unique reproductive strategy. In this group, fertilized eggs are carried by the female, attached directly to the pleopods until the zoea larvae are fully developed and ready to emerge. This distinctive behavior is the origin of the group’s name.

Additionally, members of this suborder feature lamellar gills, which differ from the branched gills observed in Dendrobranchiata, representing a key anatomical distinction between the two groups.

Classification of Pleocyemata

Pleocyemata are organized into several infraorders, including:

• Achelata (spiny lobsters)
• Anomura (hermit crabs, squat lobsters)
• Astacidea (crayfish, reef lobsters, true lobsters)
• Axiidea (ghost shrimp)
• Brachyura (crabs)
• Caridea (small or medium size shrimps)