The class Crustacea comprises the majority of the marine species of the arthropods, although there are also many freshwater species and even a few terrestrial ones such as the common sowbug. The most familiar crustaceans are the shrimps, crabs, and lobsters, but the diversity of the crustaceans in form and biology ranges from the gigantic king crab of the Pacific Ocean to a myriad of planktonic forms comprising the dominant herbivores of the ocean. Although the external form is exceedingly diverse, most crustaceans can be identified by two pairs of antennae. You can get a feel for this diversity by visiting some of the sites below with photographs and figures from the various groups. A short synopsis of the major groups of the crustaceans is given below. The groups without common names are not likely to be encountered. This page has the sites with general information on the crustaceans. There is also a page covering specific groups.

Subclass Cephalocarida

Subclass Branchiopoda (Daphnia, brine shrimp, fairy shrimp)

Subclass Ostracoda (Ostracods)

Subclass Mystacocarida

Subclass Copepoda (Copepods)

Subclass Branchiura (Fish lice)

Subclass Cirripedia (Barnacles)

Subclass Malacostraca

Order Phyllocarida

Order Stomatopoda (Mantis shrimp)

Order Cumacea (Cumaceans)

Order Tanaidacea

Order Isopoda (Isopods and sowbugs)

Order Amphipoda (Amphipods)

Order Mysidacea (Mysid shrimp)

Order Euphausiacea (Euphausiid shrimp)

Order Decapoda

Penaeidea (Penaied shrimp)

Caridea (Caridean shrimp)

Astacidea (Lobsters, crayfish)

Anomura (Mud shrimp, hermit crabs)

Brachyura (True crabs)

Great Lakes Home Page. This is a great introduction to the crustaceans in general, and the freshwater crustaceans of the Great Lakes in particular, with lots of information and photographs. To track down the many photographs, you will have to work your way through the "Great Lakes Virtually" pathway.

Animal Diverity Web. Natural History Museum, University of Michigan. An introduction to the crustaceans.

Marine Biological Laboratory. Specimen Database. A database of photographs and some information on the marine crustaceans found in the Woods Hole region of Massachusetts.

Keys to Marine Invertebrates of the Woods Hole Region. Marine Biological Laboratory. Keys to the common species of marine crustaceans of the Woods Hole region of Massachusetts. You can also find a list of the species found in this region along with a bibliography. This particular page contains the Malacostraca. The other two parts of the marine crustacea are page 11 and page 12.

Marine Biology Database. California Polytechnic. A collection of photographs with some information on various species of crustaceans found in the San Diego region.

British Columbia Creature Page. Kerry Werry. A collection of photographs and information on marine crustaceans from coastal British Columbia.

Decapods.pdf - Abele, L. G., and W. Kim. An illustrated guide to the marine decapod crustaceans of Florida.

Mysids.pdf - Farrell, D. H. Guide to shallow-water mysids from Florida. You will need an Adobe Acrobat (pdf) reader to view this file.

SFLAmpds.pdf - Thomas, J. D. Identification manual for the marine Amphipoda: (Gammaridea), I. Common coral reef and rocky bottom amphipods of south Florida. You will need an Adobe Acrobat (pdf) reader to view this file.

Bishops College Intertidal Zone Field Trip. You can find photographs of and information about the species of crustaceans found in the intertidal zone (between low and high tide marks) of Newfoundland.

VR Tide Pool. This site presents a virtual tour of a California tide pool including photographs and information on some crustaceans including a crab and a barnacle.

Seasonal Snapshots of Nature in Close-up. David Walker. This site is a non-technical survey of the types of microrganisms you might find in a pond including Cladocera, freshwater shrimp, and isopods.

Marine Crustaceans Crustacean Gallery. Joanne Taylor. Although this an Australian site, the large collection of photographs will give you an appreciation of the diversity of the marine Crustacea.