Thaumastochelidae

Taxobox
name = Thaumastochelidae
regnum = Animalia
phylum = Arthropoda
subphylum = Crustacea
classis = Malacostraca
ordo = Decapoda
subordo = Pleocyemata
infraordo = Astacidea
superfamilia = Nephropoidea
familia = Thaumastochelidae
familia_authority = Bate, 1888
subdivision_ranks = Genera
subdivision = "Thaumastocheles" Wood-Mason, 1874 "Thaumastochelopsis" Bruce, 1988

The family Thaumastochelidae contains four known species of deep-sea lobsters, three in the genus "Thaumastocheles", and one in the genus "Thaumastochelopsis". They are distinguished from other clawed lobsters by their blindness (an adaptation to deep-sea life), and by their single elongated, spiny "chela". The species are as follows:
*"Thaumastocheles dochmiodon" Chan & de Saint Laurent, 1999 is found in the Timor Sea.
*"Thaumastocheles japonicus" Calman, 1913, the "Pacific pincer lobster", is endemic to the Sea of Japan.
*"Thaumastocheles zaleucus" Thomson, 1873, the "Atlantic pincer lobster" or "Atlantic deep-sea lobster", is endemic to the Caribbean region.
*"Thaumastochelopsis wardi" Bruce, 1988, the "Australian pincer lobster", was found in the Coral Sea.

References

Bruce, A. J. (1988): "Thaumastochelopsis wardi", gen. et. sp. nov., a new blind deep-sea lobster from the coral sea (Crustacea : Decapoda : Nephropidea). Invertebrate Taxonomy 2(7): "903 - 914".