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Amphipods: Amphipoda

Behavior And Reproduction

Some marine amphipods spend their entire lives attached to floating mats of algae or to jellies and their relatives. One group lives as external parasites on the bodies of dolphins, porpoises, and whales. Beach hoppers and their relatives live under decaying vegetation or dig burrows in mud or sand.

Both males and females are required for reproduction. Males attach themselves to the females and transfer their sperm directly to the opening of her reproductive organs. Females brood their eggs in a pouch under the thorax made up of special thoracic plates. Newly hatched amphipods look very similar to the adults.

ENDANGERED AMPHIPODS LIVING IN THE SHADOWS OF THE NATION'S CAPITAL

The Hay's Spring amphipod, Stygobromus hayi, lives only in five underground springs along Rock Creek in Washington, DC. First discovered in a spring at the National Zoo in 1938, they were listed as Endangered, or facing very high risk of extinction in the wild, in 1982. Very little is known about these small (0.4 inches; 10 millimeters), blind, and colorless animals. They are threatened by limited habitat and pollution in the form of fertilizers and pesticides.

Additional topics

Animal Life ResourceMollusks, Crustaceans, and Related SpeciesAmphipods: Amphipoda - Physical Characteristics, Behavior And Reproduction, Conservation Status, Skeleton Shrimp (caprella Californica): Species Accounts - GEOGRAPHIC RANGE, HABITAT, DIET, AMPHIPODS AND PEOPLE