Tube-dwelling Sea Flea
Ericthonius rubricornis
This record describes Ericthonius rubricornis (species). Recorded family: Ischyroceridae. Recorded order: Amphipoda.
Identification and Appearance
Ericthonius rubricornis is a species of amphipod in the family Ischyroceridae. It is found in South America, North America, and Europe.
Identification notes
Among southern New England amphipods, shape of gnathopod 2 distinctive.
Wikipedia reference for Ericthonius rubricornis: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ericthonius_rubricornis.
Classification
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Arthropoda
- Class
- Malacostraca
- Order
- Amphipoda (Amphipods)
- Suborder
- Senticaudata
- Family
- Ischyroceridae
- Genus
- Ericthonius
Imported taxonomy record. Source availability varies; see the source references and editorial policy below.
Additional species information
Species notes from the sources
Etymology: Erichthonius rubricornis (Stimpson, 1853)
About Amphipods: the wider group
Order-level background for Amphipoda, the group containing Ericthonius rubricornis. Species-specific details appear above.
Group overview
Amphipoda includes ~10,000 described species of scuds, sand hoppers, and whale lice. While mostly aquatic, some species like sand hoppers (Talitrus saltator) are fully terrestrial, living on beaches above the tide line.
Ecological role of the group
Amphipods are critical detritivores in aquatic ecosystems, shredding leaf litter and recycling nutrients. Deep-sea amphipods have been found at the bottom of the Mariana Trench (10,994m), making them among the deepest-living animals on Earth.
Economic and practical significance of the group
Amphipods are standard test organisms in aquatic toxicology - Hyalella azteca is the EPA's primary freshwater sediment toxicity test species. They are also important food for fish in both freshwater and marine ecosystems.
Recorded sources for this group: EPA ecotoxicology, deep-sea biology, marine research. Imported estimates may describe particular regions or reporting periods.
Photos of Tube-dwelling Sea Flea (7)
Photo credits: Contributed by Aaron Hunt