Orchestia mediterranea

Orchestia mediterranea, sometimes called the Mediterranean beach hopper,[2] is a species of amphipod in the family Talitridae (sandhoppers).

Orchestia mediterranea
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Malacostraca
Superorder: Peracarida
Order: Amphipoda
Family: Talitridae
Genus: Orchestia
Species:
O. mediterranea
Binomial name
Orchestia mediterranea
A. Costa, 1853
Synonyms[1]
  • Neotenorchestia kenwildishi Wildish, 2014
  • Orchestia laevis
Drawings of Orchestia mediterranea limbs

Description

This species grows to a maximum length of 19 mm (0.75 in) and is pink in colour.[2] It can be distinguished from Orchestia gammarellus by the ramus (branch) of its pleopods (swimming legs), which are as long as, or longer than, the peduncle (base segment of the antenna); in O. gammarellus the ramus of the pleopods is much shorter than the peduncle.[3]

Distribution

Orchestia mediterranea is found in the Mediterranean Sea, Black Sea and the seas around Great Britain and Ireland.[1][4][5]

Behaviour

Infection with the parasite Paramarteilia orchestiae can cause intersexual attributes in male Orchestia mediterranea.[6]

A study in Bizerte found that Orchestia mediterranea was more common in autumn than summer.[7]

References
  1. "Orchestia mediterranea A. Costa, 1853". WoRMS.
  2. "Mediterranean Beach Hopper (Orchestia mediterranea)". iNaturalist.
  3. Handbook of the Marine Fauna of North-West Europe. (2017). United Kingdom: OUP Oxford.
  4. "Orchestia mediterranea | NBN Atlas". species.nbnatlas.org.
  5. "Orchestia mediterranea Costa, 1853". www.gbif.org.
  6. Ginsburger-Vogel, T. (October 1, 1991). "Intersexuality in Orchestia Mediterranea Costa, 1853, and Orchestia Aestuarensis Wildish, 1987 (Amphipoda): a Consequence of Hybridization or Parasitic Infestation?". Journal of Crustacean Biology. 11 (4): 530–539. doi:10.2307/1548522 – via DOI.org (Crossref).
  7. Issues in Life Sciences—Invertebrate Research: 2013 Edition. (2013:119). United States: ScholarlyEditions.

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