Cyprididae Explained

Cyprididae is "the most diverse group of freshwater ostracods".^[1] It contains over 1000 species, which represents 50% of the known species of freshwater ostracods (other speciose families include Candonidae, with 25%, and Limnocytheridae, with 10%).^[2] Around 60% of genera in the family are endemic to a single zoogeographic region.^[2] The family contains 16 subfamilies, and is most diverse in the Afrotropical realm, with over 300 species in 45 genera.^[2] Many Cyprididae occur in temporary water bodies and have drought-resistant eggs, mixed/parthenogenetic reproduction and ability to swim. These biological attributes pre-adapt them to form successful radiations in these habitats.^[3] Bennelongia is an interesting of the family Cyprididae. It may be the last true descendant of the Mesozoic (and now extinct) lineage of Cypridea, which was a dominant lineage of ostracod in non-marine waters in the Cretaceous.^[2]

Taxonomy

The following genera are recognised in the family Cyprididae:^[4]

• Afrocypris
• Arctocypris
• Ampullacypris
• Bennelongia
• Bradleystrandesia
• Bradleytriebella
• Brasacypris
• Candocypria
• Candonocypris
• Chlamydotheca
• Cypretta
• Cypria
• Cypridopsis
• Cyprinotus
• Cypris
• Cypricercus
• Diacypris
• Dolerocypris
• Eucypris
• Herpetocypris
• Heterocypris
• Hungarocypris
• Ilyocypris
• Kroemmelbeincypris
• Kunluniacypris
• Martenscypridopsis
• Microcypris
• Mishinaella
• Mongolianella
• Neocypridopsis
• Ngarawa
• Pattersoncypris
• Potamocypris
• Pseudocypridopsis
• Pseudoeucypris
• Reticypris
• Riocypris ^[5]
• Sarscypridopsis
• Strandesia
• Tanycypris
• Tucanocypris
• Zonocypretta
• Zonocypris

Notes and References

1. Robin J. Smith . Horst Janz . Ichiro Okubo . 2011 . Recent Cyprididae and Ilyocyprididae (Crustacea: Ostracoda) from Lake Biwa, Japan, including a summary of the lake's ostracod fauna . . 2874 . 1–37 . PDF excerpt.
2. Book: Koen Martens . Isa Schön . Claude Meisch . David J. Horne . 2008 . Global diversity of ostracods (Ostracoda, Crustacea) in freshwater . Estelle V. Balian . Christian Lévêque . Hendrik Segers . Koen Martens . Freshwater Animal Diversity Assessment . 10.1007/s10750-007-9245-4 . Developments in Hydrobiology . . 978-1-4020-8258-0 .
3. Book: D. J. Horne . K. Martens . 1998 . Luc Brendonck . Luc de Meester . Nelson Hairston . Evolutionary and ecological aspects of crustacean diapause . Advances in Limnology . 52 . 549–561 . An assessment of the importance of resting eggs for the evolutionary success of non-marine Ostracoda (Crustacea) . 978-3-510-47054-9 . E. Schweizerbart.
4. Web site: WoRMS - World Register of Marine Species - Cyprididae Baird, 1845 . 2022-12-13 . www.marinespecies.org.
5. https://www.marinespecies.org/ostracoda/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=1599488 Riocypris Klie, 1935