What is a Crustacea?
Q: What is a Crustacea?
A: A Crustacea is a subphylum of arthropods with 67,000 described species. They are part of the phylum Arthropoda and include crabs, lobsters, crayfish, shrimp, krill and barnacles.
Q: How many species of Crustacea are there?
A: There are 67,000 described species of Crustaceans.
Q: Are all Crustaceans aquatic?
A: Most crustaceans are aquatic and mostly marine but some have moved onto land permanently including some crabs and woodlice.
Q: What body parts do most Crustaceans have?
A: Most crustaceans have three major body parts which are head, thorax and abdomen. They also have two pairs of antennae and two eyes with a mouth that has two mandibles.
Q: How do most Crustaceans breathe?
A: Most crustaceans breathe with gills although some land crabs have developed lungs.
Q: Do all adult crustaceans moult their shells as they grow in size?
A: Yes, most adult crustacean moult their shells as they grow in size.
Q: How much animal biomass do Krill and Copepods form on the planet? A: Krill and Copepods form the greatest animal biomass on the planet and form a vital part of the food chain.
