Munididae


The Munididae are a family of squat lobsters, taxonomically separated from the family Galatheidae in 2010.

Description and ecology

The squat lobsters in the family Munididae can be distinguished from other families by the presence of a trispinose frontal edge to the carapace, as well as a central rostrum, and two spines extend forward from above the eyes. Although a few species enter shallow water, the majority of species in the Munididae are deep-water taxa, in contrast to the mostly shallow-water Galatheidae.

Taxonomy

The genera now included in the family Munididae had previously been included in a wider Galatheidae. When originally described, the family contained these genera: