Phreatoicidae
Encyclopedia
Phreatoicidae is a family
of blind, freshwater
isopods. They have survived apparently unchanged for 350 million years, and are only found in South Africa
, India
, Australia
and New Zealand
. They were first found near Christchurch
in 1882 by Charles Chilton
. The family Phreatoicidae now contains 13 genera:
Family (biology)
In biological classification, family is* a taxonomic rank. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, genus, and species, with family fitting between order and genus. As for the other well-known ranks, there is the option of an immediately lower rank, indicated by the...
of blind, freshwater
Freshwater
Fresh water is naturally occurring water on the Earth's surface in ice sheets, ice caps, glaciers, bogs, ponds, lakes, rivers and streams, and underground as groundwater in aquifers and underground streams. Fresh water is generally characterized by having low concentrations of dissolved salts and...
isopods. They have survived apparently unchanged for 350 million years, and are only found in South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
and New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
. They were first found near Christchurch
Christchurch
Christchurch is the largest city in the South Island of New Zealand, and the country's second-largest urban area after Auckland. It lies one third of the way down the South Island's east coast, just north of Banks Peninsula which itself, since 2006, lies within the formal limits of...
in 1882 by Charles Chilton
Charles Chilton (zoologist)
Charles Chilton was a New Zealand zoologist, the first rector to be appointed in Australasia, and the first person to be awarded a D.Sc. degree in New Zealand.-Biography:...
. The family Phreatoicidae now contains 13 genera:
- Colacanthotelson Nicholls, 1944
- Colubotelson Nicholls, 1944
- Crenoicus Nicholls, 1944
- Gariwerdeus Wilson & Keable, 2002
- Mesacanthotelson Nicholls, 1944
- Metaphreatoicus Nicholls, 1944
- Naiopegia Wilson & Keable, 2002
- Neophreatoicus Nicholls, 1944
- Notamphisopus Nicholls, 1944
- OnchotelsonOnchotelsonOnchotelson is a genus of isopod crustacean in the family Phreatoicidae, which is endemic to Tasmania. It contains two species, both of which are listed as vulnerable on the IUCN Red List:*Onchotelson brevicaudatus ...
Nicholls, 1944 - Paraphreatoicus Nicholls, 1944
- Phreatoicus Chilton, 1883
- UramphisopusUramphisopusUramphisopus pearsoni is a species of isopod crustacean in the family Phreatoicidae. It is only found in Brandum Bay basin in the north of Great Lake, Tasmania....
Nicholls, 1943