Class Crustacea (Noun)
Meaning
Class of mandibulate arthropods including: lobsters; crabs; shrimps; woodlice; barnacles; decapods; water fleas.
Classification
Nouns denoting animals.
Examples
- The class Crustacea is a diverse group of mandibulate arthropods that includes over 70,000 species, ranging from tiny water fleas to giant lobsters.
- The fossil record shows that the class Crustacea has been present on Earth for over 500 million years, with some species remaining largely unchanged.
- Crustaceans, which belong to the class Crustacea, have a hard exoskeleton that must be periodically molted in order to grow.
- Marine biologists often study the class Crustacea because of its importance in the ocean's ecosystem, with many species serving as a food source for larger animals.
- The class Crustacea is also of great economic importance, with many species being commercially harvested for food, such as crabs, lobsters, and shrimps.