Order-level background for Amphipoda, the group containing Megalorchestia columbiana. 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.
(c) Ann Goddard, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Ann Goddard | (c) Brian Starzomski, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Brian Starzomski | (c) David Sacerdote, all rights reserved, uploaded by David Sacerdote | (c) Trevor Van Loon, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Trevor Van Loon | (c) Nathaniel Schwartz, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-ND), uploaded by Nathaniel Schwartz | (c) Sheldon Logan, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Sheldon Logan | (c) ren pedersen, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by ren pedersen | Contributed by Ken Wolgemuth; Additional contributions by v belov(c) Ann Goddard, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Ann Goddard | (c) Brian Starzomski, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Brian Starzomski | (c) David Sacerdote, all rights reserved, uploaded by David Sacerdote | (c) Trevor Van Loon, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Trevor Van Loon | (c) Nathaniel Schwartz, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-ND), uploaded by Nathaniel Schwartz | (c) Sheldon Logan, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Sheldon Logan | (c) ren pedersen, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by ren pedersen | Contributed by Ken Wolgemuth; Additional contributions by v belov(c) Ann Goddard, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Ann Goddard | (c) Brian Starzomski, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Brian Starzomski | (c) David Sacerdote, all rights reserved, uploaded by David Sacerdote | (c) Trevor Van Loon, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Trevor Van Loon | (c) Nathaniel Schwartz, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-ND), uploaded by Nathaniel Schwartz | (c) Sheldon Logan, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Sheldon Logan | (c) ren pedersen, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by ren pedersen | Contributed by Ken Wolgemuth; Additional contributions by v belov(c) Ann Goddard, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Ann Goddard | (c) Brian Starzomski, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Brian Starzomski | (c) David Sacerdote, all rights reserved, uploaded by David Sacerdote | (c) Trevor Van Loon, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Trevor Van Loon | (c) Nathaniel Schwartz, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-ND), uploaded by Nathaniel Schwartz | (c) Sheldon Logan, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Sheldon Logan | (c) ren pedersen, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by ren pedersen | Contributed by Ken Wolgemuth; Additional contributions by v belov(c) Ann Goddard, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Ann Goddard | (c) Brian Starzomski, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Brian Starzomski | (c) David Sacerdote, all rights reserved, uploaded by David Sacerdote | (c) Trevor Van Loon, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Trevor Van Loon | (c) Nathaniel Schwartz, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-ND), uploaded by Nathaniel Schwartz | (c) Sheldon Logan, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Sheldon Logan | (c) ren pedersen, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by ren pedersen | Contributed by Ken Wolgemuth; Additional contributions by v belov(c) Ann Goddard, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Ann Goddard | (c) Brian Starzomski, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Brian Starzomski | (c) David Sacerdote, all rights reserved, uploaded by David Sacerdote | (c) Trevor Van Loon, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Trevor Van Loon | (c) Nathaniel Schwartz, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-ND), uploaded by Nathaniel Schwartz | (c) Sheldon Logan, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Sheldon Logan | (c) ren pedersen, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by ren pedersen | Contributed by Ken Wolgemuth; Additional contributions by v belov(c) Ann Goddard, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Ann Goddard | (c) Brian Starzomski, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Brian Starzomski | (c) David Sacerdote, all rights reserved, uploaded by David Sacerdote | (c) Trevor Van Loon, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Trevor Van Loon | (c) Nathaniel Schwartz, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-ND), uploaded by Nathaniel Schwartz | (c) Sheldon Logan, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Sheldon Logan | (c) ren pedersen, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by ren pedersen | Contributed by Ken Wolgemuth; Additional contributions by v belov(c) Ann Goddard, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Ann Goddard | (c) Brian Starzomski, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Brian Starzomski | (c) David Sacerdote, all rights reserved, uploaded by David Sacerdote | (c) Trevor Van Loon, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Trevor Van Loon | (c) Nathaniel Schwartz, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-ND), uploaded by Nathaniel Schwartz | (c) Sheldon Logan, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Sheldon Logan | (c) ren pedersen, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by ren pedersen | Contributed by Ken Wolgemuth; Additional contributions by v belov
Photo credits: (c) Ann Goddard, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Ann Goddard | (c) Brian Starzomski, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Brian Starzomski | (c) David Sacerdote, all rights reserved, uploaded by David Sacerdote | (c) Trevor Van Loon, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Trevor Van Loon | (c) Nathaniel Schwartz, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-ND), uploaded by Nathaniel Schwartz | (c) Sheldon Logan, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Sheldon Logan | (c) ren pedersen, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by ren pedersen | Contributed by Ken Wolgemuth; Additional contributions by v belov
