''Thompsonia'' is a genus of

barnacle Barnacles are arthropods of the subclass (taxonomy), subclass Cirripedia in the subphylum Crustacean, Crustacea. They are related to crabs and lobsters, with similar Nauplius (larva), nauplius larvae. Barnacles are exclusively marine invertebra ...

s which has evolved into an

endoparasite Parasitism is a close relationship between species, where one organism, the parasite, lives (at least some of the time) on or inside another organism, the host, causing it some harm, and is adapted structurally to this way of life. The en ...

of other

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, including

crab Crabs are decapod crustaceans of the infraorder Brachyura (meaning "short tailed" in Greek language, Greek), which typically have a very short projecting tail-like abdomen#Arthropoda, abdomen, usually hidden entirely under the Thorax (arthropo ...

s and

snapping shrimp Alpheidae (also known as the snapping shrimp, pistol shrimp or alpheid shrimp) is a family within the shrimp infraorder Caridea characterized by having asymmetrical claws, the larger of which is typically capable of producing a loud snapping sou ...

. It spreads through the host's body as a network of threads, and produces many egg capsules which emerge through joints in the host's shell.

Taxonomic history

The first scientific description of the genus was Robby Kossmann's description in 1872 of '' Thompsonia globosa''. Kossmann named the genus after John Vaughan Thompson, the Irish naturalist who had recognised the cirripedian affinities of the

Rhizocephala Rhizocephala are derived barnacles that are parasitic castrators. Their hosts are mostly decapod crustaceans, but include Peracarida, mantis shrimps and thoracican barnacles. Their habitats range from the deep ocean to freshwater. Together w ...

. The

type specimen In biology, a type is a particular wikt:en:specimen, specimen (or in some cases a group of specimens) of an organism to which the scientific name of that organism is formally associated. In other words, a type is an example that serves to ancho ...

s had been collected by

Georg Semper Georg Semper (August 3, 1837 in Altona, Hamburg – February 21, 1909) was a German entomologist who specialised in Lepidoptera. His Philippine Lepidoptera are in Senckenberg Museum, Frankfurt am Main and his Indomalaya and Australasia specimens ...

in the

East Indies The East Indies (or simply the Indies) is a term used in historical narratives of the Age of Discovery. The ''Indies'' broadly referred to various lands in Eastern world, the East or the Eastern Hemisphere, particularly the islands and mainl ...

, on the legs of the crab ''

Lybia tessellata ''Lybia tessellata'' is a species of small crab in the family Xanthidae. It is found in shallow parts of the tropical Indo-Pacific Ocean. They are found from the east coast of Africa in the Red Sea across Northern Japan and Northern and Eastern H ...

''. Eleven species are now recognised: *'' Thompsonia affinis'' Krüger, 1912 *'' Thompsonia chuni'' Häfele, 1911 *'' Thompsonia cubensis'' Reinhard & Stewart, 1956 *'' Thompsonia edwardsi'' Coutière, 1902 *'' Thompsonia globosa'' Kossmann, 1872 *'' Thompsonia haddoni'' Coutière, 1902 *'' Thompsonia japonica'' Häfele, 1911 *'' Thompsonia littoralis'' Lützen & Jespersen, 1990 *'' Thompsonia pilodiae'' Lützen & Jespersen, 1990 *'' Thompsonia reinhardi'' Lützen, 1992 *'' Thompsonia sinensis'' Keppen, 1877

Taxonomic history

References

Further reading