Phronima

Taxobox
name = "Phronima"
regnum = Animalia
phylum = Arthropoda
classis = Malacostraca
ordo = Amphipoda
subordo = Hyperiidea
superfamilia = Phronimoidea
familia = Phronimidae
genus = "Phronima"
genus_authority = Latreille, 1802
subdivision_ranks = Species
subdivision = "P. atlantica"
"P. bowmani"
"P. colletti"
"P. curvipes"
"P. dunbari"
"P. pacifica"
"P. sedentaria"
"P. solitaria"
"P. stebbingii"

"Phronima", the pram bug amphipod, is a small, translucent deep sea hyperiid amphipod of the family Phronimidae. It resembles a shrimp with a head, eyes, jaws and clawed arms. "Phronima" are only seen in the wild at great depths, usually by submarine crews, and are usually only about 2.5 cm (1 inch) long. "Phronima" are carnivorous; they eat small plankton.

"P. sedentaria" often uses dead salps for housing.

It was claimed on the BBC's "The Blue Planet" that "Phronima" served as an inspiration for the design of the Xenomorphs of the "Alien" film series [http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0078748/trivia] although there seems to be little evidence to support this claim - the original Xenomorph design was based on a previous painting by Giger, Necronom IV, that bears little resemblance to "Phronima".