Natantia

Natantia [nə′tan·chə]

(invertebrate zoology)

A suborder of decapod crustaceans comprising shrimp and related forms characterized by a long rostrum and a ventrally flexed abdomen.

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Natantia 

(shrimps) a suborder of the order Decapoda.

Natantia are 2-30 cm long. The cephalothorax is considerably shorter than the abdomen, and the body is flattened on the sides. The anterior walking legs are armed with chelae. The abdominal legs and the tail fan are used for swimming. Natantia are dioecious. A zoea larva hatches from the eggs, and in primitive Natantia a nauplius larva hatches from the eggs. Natantia live in all oceans and seas and sometimes in fresh waters. Some Natantia can change their color to the color of the substrate. In the USSR in Far Eastern seas there are about 100 species, with 45 species in other seas. Natantia serve as food for many commercial fish and marine mammals. They are edible and are caught in the USSR, China, USA, India, and Japan.

REFERENCE

Zhizn’zhivotnykh, vol. 2. Moscow, 1968.