Cryptoniscidae Explained

The Cryptoniscidae are a family of isopod crustaceans in the suborder Cymothoida. The original description was made by Kossmann in 1880.^[1] "Liriopsidae" is a junior synonym.^[2] Members of this family are hyperparasites of rhizocephalid barnacles which are themselves parasites of decapod crustaceans. The morphology of the adult females gives little clue as to their true identity, but the free-living larvae show their true taxonomic affiliations.^[3] The family contains these genera:^[2]

• Cryptoniscus F. Müller, 1864
• Danalia Giard, 1887
• Enthylacus Pérez, 1920
• Eumetor Kossmann, 1872
• Faba Nierstrasz & Brender à Brandis, 1930
• Liriopsis Schultze in Müller, 1859
• Perezina Nierstrasz & Brender à Brandis, 1930
• Zeuxokoma Grygier, 1993

Notes and References

1. Kossmann, R. (1880) Malacostraca (2. Theil, Anomura, Macrura, Schizopoda, Stomatopoda, Isopoda, Laemodipoda, Amphipoda). Zoologische Ergebnisse einer im Auftrage der Koniglich Akademie der Wissenschaften zu Berlin ausgefuhrten Reise in die Kuestengebiete des Rothen Meeres, zweite Halfte, erste Lieferung: 67-140
2. http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=146881 World Register of Marine Species
3. Web site: Virginia Institute of Marine Science . 2011-07-21 . 2019-01-05 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190105043313/http://www.vims.edu/research/departments/eaah/programs/crustacean/research/parasitic_isopods/index.php . dead .