Cryptoniscoidea
Kossmann, 1880

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Suggested Common Name: Shrimphuggers, Indiscernable Blobs and allies
Number of subordinate taxa: 172 described species in 10 families and 18 unplaced genera globally, 23 described species in 5 families and 2 unplaced genera in our area; true numbers likely much much larger than described species counts
Etymology:
Taxonomic History:
Size Range:
Description: Adult ♀: Body generally internal (external in most Dajidae) Adult ♂: [?] Cryptoniscus: Antenna 1 flagellomere 5-segmented. Epicaridium: [?]
Type taxon:
Notes:

Subordinate taxa: insertae sedis genera; Cabiropidae, Cryptoniscidae, Dajidae, Entophilidae, Hemioniscidae

Key to families based off of adult ♀'s*
1 a. Body symmetrical with segments; ovaries divided in two; external or internal --> Dajidae
b. Body asymmetrical (front half symmetrical in Hemioniscidae but back half irregular), if symmetrical then blobby; ovaries not divided; internal --> 2

2 (1) a. Front half of body "normal", resembling average isopod, back half irregular; parasites in barnacles along the temperate Pacific Coast and Nova Scotia --> Hemioniscidae
b. Body asymmetrical or blobby; ecology otherwise --> 3

3 (2) a. Body bopyroid, with visible segments and appendages; occuring in the haemolymph of decapods --> Entophilidae
b. Body blobby, segments reduced or entirely absent; hosts various --> 4

4 (3) a. Hosting on Paranebalia --> Apocumoechus
b. Hosting on other crustaceans --> 5

5 (4) a. Generally hosting on isopods; body often "segmented" or laterally compressed (Cabirops-type morphology) --> Cabiropidae
b. Generally hosting on rhizocephalans or decapods; body generally not "segmented" or laterally compressed  --> Cryptoniscidae

*Thermaloniscus is only known from a cryptoniscus larvae found near a hydrothermal vent far off the Pacific coast of Central America

Sources
Boyko, C. B., & Williams, J. D. (2015). A new genus for Entophilus mirabiledictu Markham & Dworschak, 2005 (Crustacea: Isopoda: Cryptoniscoidea: Entophilidae) with remarks on morphological support for epicaridean superfamilies based on larval characters. Systematic parasitology, 92(1):13-21.

Published: