Carcinology is a branch of zoology that consists of the study of crustaceans. Crustaceans are a large class of arthropods classified by having a hard exoskeleton made of chitin or chitin and calcium, three body regions, and jointed, paired appendages. Crustaceans include lobsters, crayfish, shrimp, krill, copepods, barnacles and crabs. Most crustaceans are aquatic, but some can be terrestrial, sessile, or parasitic. Other names for carcinology are malacostracology, crustaceology, and crustalogy, and a person who studies crustaceans is a carcinologist or occasionally a malacostracologist, a crustaceologist, or a crustalogist.
The word carcinology derives from Greek καρκίνος, karkínos, "crab"; and -λογία, -logia.
Subfields
Carcinology is a subdivision of arthropodology, the study of arthropods which includes arachnids, insects, and myriapods. Carcinology branches off into taxonomically oriented disciplines such as:
- astacology – the study of crayfish
- cirripedology – the study of barnacles
- copepodology – the study of copepods
- arachnology – the study of arachnids
Journals
Scientific journals devoted to the study of crustaceans include:
See also
References
- Koenemann, Stefan; Jenner, Ronald A.; Hoenemann, Mario; Stemme, Torben; von Reumont, Björn M. (2010-03-01). "Arthropod phylogeny revisited, with a focus on crustacean relationships". Arthropod Structure & Development. Fossil Record and Phylogeny of the Arthropoda. 39 (2): 88–110. Bibcode:2010ArtSD..39...88K. doi:10.1016/j.asd.2009.10.003. ISSN 1467-8039. PMID 19854296.
- Weis, Judith S. (2012). Walking Sideways: The Remarkable World of Crabs (1 ed.). Cornell University Press. ISBN 978-0-8014-5050-1. JSTOR 10.7591/j.cttn34xc. Archived from the original on 2023-11-20. Retrieved 2023-12-28.
- An updated classification of the Recent Crustacea. ISBN 978-1-891276-27-9. OCLC 48789048. Retrieved 2023-11-20 – via Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. 20540 USA.
- Zrzavý, J.; Štys, P. (December 14, 2002). "The basic body plan of arthropods: insights from evolutionary morphology and developmental biology". Journal of Evolutionary Biology. 10 (3): 353–367. doi:10.1046/j.1420-9101.1997.10030353.x. ISSN 1010-061X.
