The Department of Life Sciences

Phylum: Arthropoda  Subphylum: Crustacea    

Crustaceans are the second largest group of Arthropods after the insects. There are approximately 50,000 described species. Most of these are marine but many groups have adapted to live in freshwater and a few are found in terrestrial habitats. They range in size from tiny parasitic species 0.1mm long to the giant Japanese spider crab with a leg span of over 4 metres.

For more information on crustaceans in general click here

Two other types of arthropods which are often grouped with crustaceans due to their marine lifestyles and general body plans are the sea spiders and horseshoe crabs. There are only a few specimens in the collections with one jar of juveniles and several dried adult horseshoe crabs and one example of a sea spider.

For more information on sea spiders in general click here

For more information on horseshoe crabs in general click here

Trinidad & Tobago Crustaceans

There are a wide range of crustaceans in Trinidad and Tobago. There are land crabs and woodlice in the forests, crayfish and crabs in the streams and lakes and shrimp, lobster and crabs in the seas. Many species are caught for food from commercial fishing for shrimp in the Gulf of Paria to recreational fishing for crayfish in streams and rivers.

For profiles of selected species click here

UWIZM Collections

The collection consists of around 1000 lots of specimens representing 3 classes, 7 orders and over 29 families. They are preserved in alcohol and formalin. Many were collected during student field trips or as part of postgraduate studies. They include both freshwater and marine species.

Families in the collections include: 

Albunidae, Astacidae, Atyidae, Balanidae, Calappidae, Coenobitidae, Dromiidae, Gecarcinidae, Goneplacidae, Grapsidae, Hippidae, Hippolytidae, Lepadidae, Leucosiidae, Lithodidae, Majidae, Nephropidae, Ocypodidae, Oplophoridae, Paguridae, Palaemonidae, Palinuridae, Parthenopidae, Penaeidae, Plagusiidae, Porcellaniadae, Portunidae, Pseudothelphusidae, Raninidae, Squillidae, Trichodactylidae, Xanthidae

Highlights

Dried freshwater prawn (Macrobrachium acanthurus)

Giant Hermit Crab (Petrochirus diogenes) in ethanol

Last updated 7 June 2018