Cumopsis fagei

Cumopsis fagei is a species of hooded shrimp from the family Bodotriidae. It is named for the French zoologist Louis Fage, and so should be pronounced .

Description

Cumopsis fagei is small, about 6 mm ( inch) long.

Cumopsis fagei can be differentiated from similar cumaceans in that it has:

• a carapace without lateral folds
• pereon segments are smooth dorsally
• the female uropod ('tail-foot') is as long as the combined length of the three posterior pleon segments
• the proximal segment of the exopod is longer than the distal segment, which terminates with a strong spine but lacks spines on its inner edge

Ecology

As with other hooded shrimp, C. fagei is gonochoric and sexually dimorphic. It swarms nocturnally to breed. Females brood eggs in the brood pouch (marsupium), where they moult, become mancas and leave.

Distribution

Cumopsis fagei is found in the Eastern Atlantic, off of Ireland, Great Britain, Morocco and France. It lives in the demersal zone, sandy beaches and in the sublittoral zone.

References