Hyperiidea

Hyperiidea
Hyperia (Hyperiidae)
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Clade: Pancrustacea
Class: Malacostraca
Order: Amphipoda
Suborder: Hyperiidea
H. Milne-Edwards, 1830
Families

See text

The Hyperiidea is one of the six suborders of amphipods, small aquatic crustaceans. Unlike some other suborders of Amphipoda, hyperiids are exclusively marine and do not occur in fresh water. Hyperiids are distinguished by their large eyes and planktonic habitat. Most species of hyperiids are parasites or predators of salps and jellyfish in the plankton, although a significant minority (~1/3 of genera) are free-swimming predators.

Taxonomy

According to World Amphipoda Database, 284 species of Hyperiidea are known in 2025.

Some controversy exists as to the number of families in the Hyperiidea, being given as between 20 and 23 depending on whether groups like the Thaumatopsidae are considered distinct or not. The taxonomy of Hyperiidea currently accepted by the World Register of Marine Species is as follows:

Infraorder Physocephalata Bowman & Gruner, 1973
Infraorder Physosomata Pirlot, 1929

Distribution

Hyperiidea are known from many oceans of the world, including 69 species in the Southern Ocean.

References

  1. ↑ Stenvers, Vanessa I.; Hemmi, Jan M.; Schlining, Kyra L.; Collins, Richard; Ianniello, Linda; Waters, Holly F.; Choy, C. Anela; Haddock, Steven H. D.; Robison, Bruce H.; Hoving, Henk-Jan; Osborn, Karen J. (2026-07-01). "In situ observations reveal a link between association behaviour, camouflage and eye complexity in midwater amphipods". Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences. 293 (2074). doi:10.1098/rspb.2025.2837. ISSN 1471-2954.
  2. ↑ Meyer-Rochow, V. B. (1978-01-17). "The eyes of mesopelagic crustaceans. II. Streetsia challengeri (amphipoda)". Cell and Tissue Research. 186 (2): 337–349. doi:10.1007/BF00225542. ISSN 0302-766X. PMID 203400.
  3. ↑ Statistics World Amphipoda Database. VLIZ (27.5.2025)
  4. ↑ "Hyperiidea". WoRMS. World Register of Marine Species. Retrieved 2 July 2020.
  5. ↑ C. De Broyer; K. Jazdzewski (1993). "Contribution to the marine biodiversity inventory: A checklist of the Amphipoda (Crustacea) of the Southern Ocean". Doc Trav Inst R Sci Nat Belg. 73. Archived from the original on 2011-07-06. Retrieved 2006-02-02.