{{Short description|Order of crustaceans}} {{Automatic taxobox | oldest_fossil = Carboniferous | image = Tanaissus_lilljeborgi.jpg | image_caption = ''Tanaissus lilljeborgi''<br/>(a tanaid from the North Sea) | taxon = Tanaidacea | authority = Dana, 1849 | subdivision_ranks = Suborders | subdivision = *Anthracocaridomorpha † *Apseudomorpha *Tanaidomorpha }}

The crustacean order '''Tanaidacea''' (known as '''tanaids''') make up a minor group within the class Malacostraca. There are about 940 species in this order.

==Description== Tanaids are small, shrimp-like creatures ranging from {{convert|0.5|to|120|mm|in|sigfig=2}} in adult size, with most species being from {{convert|2|to|5|mm|in|sigfig=1}}. Their carapace covers the first two segments of the thorax. There are three pairs of limbs on the thorax; a small pair of maxillipeds, a pair of large clawed gnathopods, and a pair of pereiopods adapted for burrowing into the mud.<ref name=IZ/> The remaining six thoracic segments each bear a pair of pereiopods,<ref>{{cite book |last1=Holdich |first1=D. M. |last2=Jones |first2=J. A. |title=Tanaids: keys and notes for the identification of the species |date=1983 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |location=Cambridge, New York |isbn=9780521272032 |pages=3–9}}</ref> and each of the first five abdominal segments normally carry pleopods. The final segment is fused with the telson and carries a pair of uropods.<ref name=IZ/>

The gills lie on the inner surface of the carapace. The thoracic limbs wash water towards the mouth, filtering out small particles of food with the mouthparts or maxillipeds. Some species actively hunt prey, either as their only food source, or in combination with filter feeding.<ref name=IZ/>

==Habitat== Most are marine, but a handful are also found in freshwater. They live buried in bottom sediments, sometimes in self-built tubes.<ref name=":0" />

==Life cycle== Tanaids do not undergo a true planktonic stage. The early developmental period is spent while young are within the marsupium of the mother. Subsequently, post-larvae, called mancas, emerge as epibenthic forms. Some species are hermaphroditic.<ref name=IZ>{{cite book |author= Barnes, Robert D. |year=1982 |title= Invertebrate Zoology |publisher= Holt-Saunders International |location= Philadelphia, PA|pages= 768–769|isbn= 0-03-056747-5}}</ref>

==Taxonomy== The oldest representatives of the group are known from the Carboniferous, with modern forms emerging during the Mesozoic.<ref name=":0">{{Cite journal |last1=Pazinato |first1=Paula G. |last2=Müller |first2=Patrick |last3=Haug |first3=Joachim T. |date=2023-01-31 |title=New species of Tanaidacea from Cretaceous Kachin amber, with a brief review of the fossil record of tanaidacean crustaceans |url=https://fr.pensoft.net/article/99995/ |journal=Fossil Record |volume=26 |issue=1 |pages=39–50 |doi=10.3897/fr.26.99995 |issn=2193-0074|doi-access=free }}</ref>

The order Tanaidacea is divided into the following sub-orders, superfamilies and families:<ref>{{cite web |author=WoRMS |year=2018 |title=Tanaidacea |publisher=World Register of Marine Species |url=http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=1133 |accessdate=May 7, 2018}}</ref> {{Div col|colwidth=29em}} * '''Suborder''' Anthracocaridomorpha † *** Family Anthracocarididae † <small>Brooks, 1962 emend. Schram, 1979</small> *** Family Niveotanaidae † <small>Polz, 2005</small> * '''Suborder''' Apseudomorpha ** Superfamily Apseudoidea <small>Leach, 1814</small> (incl. former superfamily Jurapseudoidea<ref name="HeardEtAl">{{Cite journal|author1=Richard W. Heard |author2=Andrés G. Morales-Núñez |author3=María de Lourdes Serrano-Sánchez |author4=Marco A. Coutiño |author5=Ricardo Barragán |author6=Francisco J. Vega |year=2020 |title=A new family, genus and species of Tanaidacea (Crustacea; Apseudomorpha) from the Lower Cretaceous (Aptian) of Chiapas, Mexico: Systematic revisions, including designation of two new Paleozoic families, and paleoenvironmental observations |journal=Journal of South American Earth Sciences |volume=102 |article-number=102609 |doi=10.1016/j.jsames.2020.102609 |doi-access=free }}</ref>) *** Family Apseudellidae <small>Gutu, 1972</small> *** Family Apseudidae <small>Leach, 1814</small> *** Family Eucryptocaridae <small>Heard et al. 2020</small> *** Family Gigantapseudidae <small>Kudinova-Pasternak, 1978</small> *** Family Jurapseudidae † <small>Schram, Sieg & Malzahn, 1986</small> *** Family Kalliapseudidae <small>Lang, 1956</small> *** Family Metapseudidae <small>Lang, 1970</small> *** Family Numbakullidae <small>Gutu & Heard, 2002</small> *** Family Ophthalmapseudidae <small>Heard et al. 2020</small> *** Family Pagurapseudidae <small>Lang, 1970</small> *** Family Pagurapseudopsididae <small>Gutu, 2006</small> *** Family Parapseudidae <small>Gutu, 1981</small> *** Family Protoapseudoidae <small>Heard et al. 2020</small> *** Family Sphaeromapseudidae <small>Larsen, 2012</small> *** Family Sphyrapodidae <small>Gutu, 1980</small> *** Family Tanzanapseudidae <small>Bacescu, 1975</small> *** Family Whiteleggiidae <small>Gutu, 1972</small> *** Genus ''Palaeotanais'' † <small>Reiff, 1936</small> ** Superfamily Cretitanaoidea † <small>Schram, Sieg, Malzahn, 1983</small> *** Family Cretitanaidae † <small>Schram, Sieg & Malzahn, 1986</small> * '''Suborder''' Tanaidomorpha ** Superfamily Neotanaoidea <small>Sieg, 1980</small> *** Family Neotanaidae <small>Lang, 1956</small> ** Superfamily Paratanaoidea <small>Lang, 1949</small> *** Family Agathotanaidae <small>Lang, 1971</small> *** Family Akanthophoreidae <small>Sieg, 1986</small> *** Family Alavatanaidae † <small>Vonk & Schram, 2007</small> *** Family Anarthruridae <small>Lang, 1971</small> *** Family Colletteidae <small>Larsen & Wilson, 2002</small> *** Family Cryptocopidae <small>Sieg, 1977</small> *** Family Heterotanoididae <small>Bird, 2012</small> *** Family Leptocheliidae <small>Lang, 1973</small> *** Family Leptognathiidae <small>Sieg, 1976</small> *** Family Mirandotanaidae <small>Blazewicz-Paszkowycz & Bamber, 2009</small> *** Family Nototanaidae <small>Sieg, 1976</small> *** Family Paratanaidae <small>Lang, 1949</small> *** Family Pseudotanaidae <small>Sieg, 1976</small> *** Family Pseudozeuxidae <small>Sieg, 1982</small> *** Family Tanaellidae <small>Larsen & Wilson, 2002</small> *** Family Tanaissuidae <small>Bird & Larsen, 2009</small> *** Family Tanaopsidae <small>Błażewicz-Paszkowycz & Bamber, 2012</small> *** Family Teleotanaidae <small>Bamber, 2008</small> *** Family Typhlotanaidae <small>Sieg, 1984</small> ** Superfamily Tanaidoidea <small>Nobili, 1906</small> *** Family Tanaididae <small>Nobili, 1906</small> {{div col end}}

==References== {{Portal|Crustaceans}} {{Reflist}}

==External links== {{Wikispecies-inline}}

{{Malacostraca}}

{{Taxonbar|from=Q72506}} {{Authority control}}

Category:Tanaidacea Category:Crustacean orders