Kingdom Animalia Class Malacostraca Family Urothoidae Rank Genus | Subphylum Crustacea Suborder Gammaridea Phylum Arthropoda Order Amphipoda | |
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Similar Amphipoda, Bathyporeia, Ampelisca brevicornis, Ampelisca, Bathyporeia elegans | ||
Urothoe is a genus of very small marine amphipod crustaceans in the family Urothoidae. Members of the genus are found worldwide.
Contents
Biology
Urothods are 5–8 millimetres (0.2–0.3 in) long and live on the sea bed or in shallow burrows in gravelly substrates or muddy sand. They can swim for short distances. They are vulnerable to dredging but are able to recover afterwards and re-establish their burrows. They are deposit feeders and also selectively scrape microorganisms from grains of sand.
Reproduction
Urothoe reaches sexual maturity at five months and may live for about a year. The sexes are distinct and breeding takes place in the summer months. Fertilisation is internal and there are about fifteen eggs per brood, produced in a cycle of about fifteen days. Fecundity is high and the juveniles grow fast but biological dispersal is very limited.
Species
Urothoe contains the following species: