Anaspidacea is an

order Order, ORDER or Orders may refer to: * A socio-political or established or existing order, e.g. World order, Ancien Regime, Pax Britannica * Categorization, the process in which ideas and objects are recognized, differentiated, and understood ...

crustacean Crustaceans (from Latin meaning: "those with shells" or "crusted ones") are invertebrate animals that constitute one group of arthropods that are traditionally a part of the subphylum Crustacea (), a large, diverse group of mainly aquatic arthrop ...

s, comprising eleven genera in four families. Species in the family

Anaspidesidae Anaspidesidae is a family of freshwater crustacean that is endemic to Tasmania, Australia. The family contains 3 living genera. This group of crustaceans are considered living fossils. They are commonly and collectively known as the Tasmanian ana ...

vary from being strict stygobionts (only living underground) to species living in lakes, streams and

moorland Moorland or moor is a type of Habitat (ecology), habitat found in upland (geology), upland areas in temperate grasslands, savannas, and shrublands and the biomes of montane grasslands and shrublands, characterised by low-growing vegetation on So ...

pools, and are found only in

Tasmania Tasmania (; palawa kani: ''Lutruwita'') is an island States and territories of Australia, state of Australia. It is located to the south of the Mainland Australia, Australian mainland, and is separated from it by the Bass Strait. The sta ...

Koonungidae Koonungidae is a family of crustaceans belonging to the order Anaspidacea Anaspidacea is an Order (biology), order of crustaceans, comprising eleven genera in four families. Species in the family Anaspididae, Anaspidesidae vary from being stri ...

is found in Tasmania and the south-eastern part of the

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

n mainland, where they live in the

burrow file:Chipmunk-burrow (exits).jpg, An eastern chipmunk at the entrance of its burrow A burrow is a hole or tunnel excavated into the ground by an animal to construct a space suitable for habitation or temporary refuge, or as a byproduct of Animal lo ...

s made by

crayfish Crayfish are freshwater crustaceans belonging to the infraorder Astacidea, which also contains lobsters. Taxonomically, they are members of the superfamilies Astacoidea and Parastacoidea. They breathe through feather-like gills. Some spe ...

and in caves. The families

Psammaspididae Psammaspididae is a family of crustaceans belonging to the order Anaspidacea. Genera: * ''Eucrenonaspides ''Eucrenonaspides oinotheke'' is a species of crustacean in the family Psammaspididae, Endemism, endemic to Tasmania, the only species ...

and

Stygocarididae Stygocarididae is a family of crustaceans belonging to the order Anaspidacea Anaspidacea is an Order (biology), order of crustaceans, comprising eleven genera in four families. Species in the family Anaspididae, Anaspidesidae vary from being s ...

are both restricted to caves, but Stygocarididae has a much wider distribution than the other families, with '' Parastygocaris'' having species in

New Zealand New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...

and

South America South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a considerably smaller portion in the Northern Hemisphere. It can also be described as the southern Subregion#Americas, subregion o ...

as well as Australia; two other genera in the family are

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found only in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also foun ...

to South America, and one, '' Stygocarella'', is endemic to New Zealand.

Genera

Ahyong & Alonso-Zarazaga, 2017 (=

Anaspididae Anaspidesidae is a family (biology), family of freshwater crustacean that is endemic to Tasmania, Australia. The family contains 3 living genus, genera. This group of crustaceans are considered living fossils. They are commonly and collectively k ...

Thomson, 1893) **''

Allanaspides Anaspidesidae is a family of freshwater crustacean that is endemic to Tasmania, Australia. The family contains 3 living genera. This group of crustaceans are considered living fossils. They are commonly and collectively known as the Tasmanian ana ...

'' Swain, Wilson, Hickman & Ong, 1970 – Tasmania **''

Anaspides ''Anaspides'' is a genus of freshwater crustaceans in the family Anaspidesidae. The genus was first described in 1894 by George Malcolm Thomson. The genus was originally placed in the family, Anaspididae by Thomson, but this genus name was preo ...

'' Thomson, 1894 – Tasmania **''

Paranaspides Anaspidesidae is a family of freshwater crustacean that is endemic to Tasmania, Australia. The family contains 3 living genera. This group of crustaceans are considered living fossils. They are commonly and collectively known as the Tasmanian ana ...

'' Smith, 1908 – Tasmania *

Sayce, 1908 **'' Koonunga'' Sayce, 1907 – south-eastern Australia and Tasmania **'' Micraspides'' Nicholls, 1931 – south-eastern Australia and Tasmania *

Schminke, 1974 **''

Eucrenonaspides ''Eucrenonaspides oinotheke'' is a species of crustacean in the family Psammaspididae, Endemism, endemic to Tasmania, the only species described in the genus ''Eucrenonaspides''. ''Eucrenonaspides'' is in the order Anaspidacea. It was described ...

'' Knott & Lake, 1980 – Tasmania **'' Psammaspides'' Schminke, 1974 – south-eastern Australia *

Noodt, 1963 **'' Oncostygocaris'' Schminke, 1980 – southern South America **'' Parastygocaris'' Noodt, 1963 – southern South America **'' Stygocarella'' Schminke, 1980 – New Zealand **'' Stygocaris'' Noodt, 1963 – southern South America, south-eastern Australia and New Zealand

References

Syncarida Crustacean orders Freshwater crustaceans {{Malacostraca-stub