Evolution & Systematics
The order stomatopoda comprises about 400 species, divided in 19 families and more than 100 genera, and it is believed that they separate from other crustaceans lineages about 200 million years ago(Debelius 2001).
Image 1:Phylogeny of Malacostraca with Stomatopoda highlited [adapted from Ruppert, Fox & Barnes 2004].
Inside the sub-phylum Crustacea the class Malacostraca gives origin to two sister taxa: Leptostraca and Eumalacostraca. Eumalacostraca gave origin to the Stomatopoda and Caridoida. The last one represents all the Eumalacostraca not Stomatopoda such as Decapoda. Stomatopoda have raptorial anterior thoracopods, respiratory pleopods and triramous first antennae (Ruppert, Fox & Barnes 2004). |