| Remipedia Temporal range:Pennsylvanian to Recent | |
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| Speleonectes tanumekes | |
| Scientific classification | |
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| Class: | Remipedia J. Yager, 1981 |
Remipedia is aclass of blindcrustaceans. They live in coastalaquifers.
So long as the water issalty, these little animals can be found.They are found in almost everyocean basin, including inAustralia, theCaribbean Sea, theAtlantic Ocean. They live insubtropical waters.[1]
The first described remipede was afossil calledTesnusocaris goldichi (earlyPennsylvanian). Since 1979 at least 17 living species have been identified.
Genetic studies suggest that remipedes are thearthropods most closely related toinsects.[2]
Remipedes are10–40 millimetres (0.4–1.6 in) long. They have a head and a long trunk of up to forty-two similar bodysegments.[3] The swimmingappendages are on the sides of each segment, and the animals swim on their backs. They are generally slow-moving.
They have fangs connected to secretoryglands. It is not known whether these glands secrete digestive juices or poisonousvenom. They have a primitive body plan in crustacean terms, and may be a basal, ancestral crustacean group.
At least one species,Godzilliognomus frondosus, has an organised brain, with a particularly largeolfactory area. Species which live in dark environments need to detectscents in the water.[4] The size and complexity of the brain suggested that Remipedia might be the sister taxon toMalacostraca, regarded as the most advanced crustaceans.