Dahlella

Dahlella caldariensis
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Subphylum:	Crustacea
Class:	Malacostraca
Order:	Leptostraca
Family:	Nebaliidae
Genus:	Dahlella Hessler, 1984 [1]
Species:	D. caldariensis
Binomial name
Dahlella caldariensis Hessler, 1984 [1]

Dahlella caldariensis is a species of leptostracan crustacean which lives on hydrothermal vents in the Pacific Ocean.

Description

Dahlella may reach a length of 8.1 mm (0.32 in) from the base of the rostrum to the end of the abdomen.^[2] Much of the animal is covered by a large, hinged carapace. Dahlella can be distinguished from other animals in the same family by the presence of a row of denticles (small teeth) on the eyestalks, which it is believed are used to scrape surfaces for food.^[3] A similar character is found in Paranebalia (Paranebaliidae), but the form of the eyestalk is very different in the two taxa.^[3]

Distribution

D. caldariensis has been recorded from a small number of sites around hydrothermal vents in the eastern Pacific Ocean near the Galápagos Islands and on the East Pacific Rise.^[4] It is one of the deepest-living species of Leptostraca, having been found at depths of over 2,300 m (7,500 ft).^[5]

Etymology

The generic name Dahlella commemorates the biologist Erik Dahl of the University of Lund. The specific epithet comes from the Latin word caldaria meaning hot bath, and is a reference to the natural habitat of D. caldariensis.^[6]

References

1. ^ ^{a b} R. R. Hessler (1984). "Dahlella caldariensis new genus new species - a leptostracan (Crustacea, Malacostraca) from deep-sea hydrothermal vents". Journal of Crustacean Biology 4 (4): 665–664. JSTOR 1548079. 
2. ^ "Dahlella caldariensis". Grzimek's Animal Life Encyclopedia. 2003. http://www.answers.com/topic/dahlella-caldariensis. 
3. ^ ^{a b} Genefor K. Walker-Smith & Gary C. B. Poore (2001). "A phylogeny of the Leptostraca (Crustacea) with keys to families and genera" (PDF). Memoirs of Museum Victoria 58 (2): 383–410. http://museumvictoria.com.au/pages/4128/58_2_walker.pdf. 
4. ^ Todd Haney. "Leptostraca Specimen Database Search". Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County. http://atiniui.nhm.org/peet/leptostraca/specimens/. 
5. ^ Todd A. Haney, Robert R. Hessler & Joel W. Martin (2001). "Nebalia schizophthalma, a new species of leptostracan (Malacostraca) from deep waters off the east coast of the United States" (PDF). Journal of Crustacean Biology 21 (1): 192–201. doi:10.1651/0278-0372(2001)021[0192:NSANSO]2.0.CO;2. JSTOR 1549768. http://atiniui.nhm.org/pdfs/4327/4327.pdf. 
6. ^ Todd Haney. "Synonymy". Los Angeles PEET project on Leptostraca. Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County. http://crustacea.nhm.org/peet/leptostraca/synonymies.html.