There are over 10,000 identified species of isopod worldwide, with around 4,500 species found in marine environments, mostly on the seabed, 500 species in fresh water, and another 5,000 species on land. The order is divided into eleven suborders.

Isopods are an order of marine invertebrates (animals without backbones) that belong to the greater crustacean group of animals, which includes crabs and shrimp.

A giant isopod is any of the almost 20 species of large isopods in the genus Bathynomus. They are abundant in the cold, deep waters of the Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian Oceans.

6 days ago · Unlike those malacostracans with an obvious carapace, isopods lack one. Isopods belong to the superorder Peracarida, which includes a diverse array of taxa that all brood their young in a ventral pouch between their legs. Isopods …

Oct 7, 2024 · Isopods, members of the order Isopoda, are a diverse group of crustaceans found in marine, freshwater, and terrestrial habitats. These invertebrates are characterized by their dorsoventrally flattened bodies, segmented, armor-like exoskeletons, and two pairs of antennae.

There are around 10,000 species of isopods, both marine and terrestrial. These are diversely distributed worldwide, with species inhabiting shallow inshore to deeper shelf and ocean basin waters and from coasts to deserts.

Sep 21, 2023 · The deep-sea isopod, or Bathynomus giganteus, is the biggest isopod species of this order, growing anywhere from 11 to 20 inches in length. This is thanks to deep-sea gigantism , a phenomenon in which deep-sea dwellers tend to be larger than their shallower-water or land-dwelling family members.

The arcturids (family Arcturidae) are marine isopods that have developed a unique body type, enabling them to live among plants and plant-like animals (such as bryozoans and sponges) as filter feeders in coastal and shelf waters. These isopods are cylindrical, rather than flat.

Aug 31, 2012 · Marine isopods are arguably the most morphologically diverse order of all the Crustacea. Many species have a dorsoventrally compressed body shape, usually with a vaulted dorsum, notably the Cymothoida and the family Sphaeromatidae.

Jan 21, 2025 · isopod, any member of the order Isopoda (class Crustacea), a group of diverse, widely occurring forms including marine, freshwater, and terrestrial species. Most are free-living, but a number of marine species are parasitic on other animals. They are usually inconspicuous.