Mictacea


Mictacea is an monotypical order of crustaceans, originally erected for four species of small shrimp-like animals of the deep sea and anchialine caves.

Description

Mictaceans have a brood pouch and biramous thoracic limbs, but lack a carapace. They have eyestalks but "no functioning visual elements".

History

The existence of animals resembling the Mictacea had been predicted by Frederick Schram in the early 1980s.
Two groups of scientists independently discovered the animals in 1985, and, once they learnt of each other's work, agreed to work together on the paper describing the new order.

Species

A single species is recognised:
;Mictocarididae Bowman & Iliffe, 1985