Specimen of Streetsia challengeri (Oxycephalidae). Its left and right eyes are fused to form a single cylindrical eye made of ~2500 ommatidia. It can see all around, but not ahead or behind.
Specimen of Phronima sedentaria (Phronimidae)
Specimen of Themisto (Hyperiidae)
Specimen of Cystisoma (Cystisomatidae)
Hyperiidea
| Hyperiidea | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Hyperia (Hyperiidae) | |
Scientific 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.
Gallery
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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
- Parvorder Physocephalatidira Bowman & Gruner, 1973
- Superfamily Phronimoidea Rafinesque, 1815
- Family Bougisidae Zeidler, 2004
- Family Cystisomatidae Willemöes-Suhm, 1875
- Family Dairellidae Bovallius, 1887
- Family Hyperiidae Dana, 1852
- Family Iulopididae Zeidler, 2004
- Family Lestrigonidae Zeidler, 2004
- Family Phronimidae Rafinesque, 1815
- Family Phrosinidae Dana, 1852
- Superfamily Platysceloidea Spence Bate, 1862
- Family Amphithyridae Zeidler, 2016
- Family Anapronoidae Bowman & Gruner, 1973
- Family Brachyscelidae Stephensen, 1923
- Family Eupronoidae Zeidler, 2016
- Family Lycaeidae Claus, 1879
- Family Lycaeopsidae Chevreux, 1913
- Family Oxycephalidae Dana, 1852
- Family Parascelidae Bovallius, 1887
- Family Platyscelidae Spence Bate, 1862
- Family Pronoidae Dana, 1852
- Family Thamneidae Zeidler, 2016
- Family Tryphanidae Boeck, 1871
- Superfamily Vibilioidea Dana, 1852
- Family Cyllopodidae Bovallius, 1887
- Family Paraphronimidae Bovallius, 1887
- Family Vibiliidae Dana, 1852
- Superfamily Phronimoidea Rafinesque, 1815
- Infraorder Physosomata Pirlot, 1929
- Parvorder Physosomatidira Pirlot, 1929
- Superfamily Lanceoloidea Bovallius, 1887
- Family Chuneolidae Woltereck, 1909
- Family Lanceolidae Bovallius, 1887
- Family Megalanceolidae Zeidler, 2009
- Family Metalanceolidae Zeidler, 2009
- Family Microphasmidae Stephensen & Pirlot, 1931
- Family Mimonecteolidae Zeidler, 2009
- Family Prolanceolidae Zeidler, 2009
- Superfamily Scinoidea Stebbing, 1888
- Family Archaeoscinidae K. H. Barnard, 1930
- Family Microscinidae Zeidler, 2012
- Family Mimonectidae Bovallius, 1885
- Family Mimoscinidae Zeidler, 2012
- Family Scinidae Stebbing, 1888
- Superfamily Lanceoloidea Bovallius, 1887
Distribution
Hyperiidea are known from many oceans of the world, including 69 species in the Southern Ocean.
References
- ↑ 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.
- ↑ 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.
- ↑ Statistics World Amphipoda Database. VLIZ (27.5.2025)
- ↑ "Hyperiidea". WoRMS. World Register of Marine Species. Retrieved 2 July 2020.
- ↑ 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.