Parasquillidae Family of Mantis Shrimp

One Mantis Shrimp of the Parasquillidae Family can be found in this website:

Brown Mantis Shrimp, Parasquilla similis. A representative of the Parasquillidae Family of Mantis Shrimp.

Phylogeny: Parasquillid Mantis Shrimps of the Parasquillidae Family are in the are in the phylum Arthropoda. They are in the subphylum Crustacea, the superclass Multicrustacea, the class Malacostraca, the subclass Hoplocarida, the order Stomatopoda, the suborder Unipeltata, and the superfamily Parasuilloidea. The Parasquillidae Family is the only family in this superfamily. The Parasquillidae Family contains three genera and thirteen species. The name Parasquillidae comes from a combination of Greek and Latin, and means “resembling mantis shrimp.”

Morphology: Parasquillids have an elongated cylindrical body shape. They have 5 head segments, 8 thoracic segments, and 6 abdominal segments. The head and thorax are combined as a cephalothorax. The head includes a pair of antennae, a pair of antennules, and mouth parts (maxillae and mandibles). The thorax has three pairs of maxillipeds ( mouth parts) and pereiopods (walking legs). The abdomen has pleopods (swimming legs) and it terminates in a telson (tail) flanked by uropods. The rostral plate (front of carapace) is typically armed with a long, slender median spine, though this may be absent in some genera, and features a shallow midline groove. Parasquillids are “spearing” mantis shrimps, with a raptorial claw (2nd maxilliped) that armed with a spine and a dactylus with three teeth. The telson (shield-like final segment of abdomen) lacks intermediate dorsal tubercles and is armed with three pairs of teeth along the margins. A key characteristic for this family are the uropodal exopod spine patterns: the protopod is forked with three primary spines, the proximal segment bears 5–8 movable spines, and the distal segment has two distal spines. Unfortunately, most of these defining characteristics will not be obvious to the field observer. Mantis shrimp have eyes that are among the most complex in the animal kingdom that can see the full range of visible light colors, as well as ultraviolet and polarized light. The Stomatopods have 15 classes of photoreceptors; humans have four classes. Sexual dimorphism is subtle but present, with females generally larger than males and males having larger raptorial claws. Parasquillids  reach up to 15 cm (5.8 inches) in length.

Habitat and Distribution: Parasquillids are generally found in U-shaped or Y-shaped burrows in sandy or muddy substrates. They live from the lower intertidal zone to depths of 700 m (2,296 feet). They are found worldwide in subtropical to tropical seas. At least three species from this family are found in Mexican waters.

Reproduction: Parasquillidae Mantis Shrimps are gonochoric (either male or female for life). They reproduce sexually, with internal fertilization, via sperm transfer. The females broods the fertilized eggs (up to 50,000) under her abdomen. The eggs hatch into a planktonic larvae before they settle to the bottom and metamorphose into their adult form.

Ecosystem Roles: Parasquillids are generally ambush predators that feed by spearing fish, crustaceans and soft invertebrates. They are primarily nocturnal or crepuscular, and seldomly venture far from their burrows. They are prey for fish, octopus, squid, and cuttlefish.