Ampithoidae Explained

Ampithoidae is a family of amphipod crustaceans. The family has a worldwide distribution as algal dwellers. They commonly create tube-shaped nests on their host plants or algae which serve as both shelter and food. Young ampithoids develop from eggs to a larval stage within their mother's brood-pouch, formed by the appendages of her abdomen.

Genera

The World Register of Marine Species includes the following genera in this family:-

• Amphithoides Kossmann, 1880
• Amphitholina Ruffo, 1953
• Ampithoe Leach, 1814
• Austrothoe Peart, 2014
• Biancolina Della Valle, 1893
• Cymadusa Savigny, 1816
• Exampithoe K.H. Barnard, 1926
• Macropisthopus K.H. Barnard, 1916
• Paradusa Ruffo, 1969
• Paragrubia Chevreux, 1901
• Paranexes Peart, 2014
• Pleonexes Spence Bate, 1857
• Plumithoe Barnard & Karaman, 1991
• Pseudamphithoides Ortiz, 1976 (e.g. Pseudamphithoides incurvaria)
• Pseudopleonexes Conlan, 1982
• Sunamphitoe Spence Bate, 1857 (e.g. Sunamphitoe femorata)

Further reading

• Cerda . Osvaldo . Hinojosa . Iván A. . Thiel . Martin . Nest-Building Behavior by the Amphipod Peramphithoe femorata (Krøyer) on the Kelp Macrocystis pyrifera (Linnaeus) C. Agardh From Northern-Central Chile . The Biological Bulletin . June 2010 . 218 . 3 . 248–258 . 10.1086/BBLv218n3p248 . 20570848 . 12067862 .
• Peart . Rachael A. . Lörz . Anne-Nina . Ampithoidae (Crustacea, Amphipoda) from New Zealand . ZooKeys . 26 January 2018 . 733 . 25–48 . 10.3897/zookeys.733.14052 . 29416406 . 5799742 . free .