Pleomothra

Pleomothra
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Clade:	Pancrustacea
Class:	Remipedia
Order:	Nectiopoda
Family:	Pleomothridae; Hoenemann et al., 2013
Genus:	Pleomothra; Yager, 1989
Type species
	Pleomothra apletocheles; Yager, 1989
Other species
	Pleomothra fragilis Koenemann, Ziegler & Iliffe, 2008;

Pleomothra is a genus of crustaceans found in the Bahamas. First described in 1989,²³ the genus has 2 identified species as of 2008.⁴ It is the sole member of the family Pleomothridae, but was previously placed in the family Godzilliidae. The family is named after the fictional giant moth monster Mothra.

The genus is in the group Remipedia where all species are blind, and the entire body consists of a single, long line of joints. Individuals swim slowly on their backs.

Etymology

The name of the family was coined in 1989 by biologist Jill Yager to describe the crustacean's unique swimming habits and to keep a thematic naming trend going. The first remipede ever described in that cave family was named Godzillius in the family Godzilliidae (which was named after Godzilla), so she chose to name it after Mothra, the iconic moth monster, for the next discovery.

References

Koenemann S, Hoenemann M, Stemme T, eds. (2026). "Pleomothra Yager, 1989". World Remipedia Database. World Register of Marine Species. Retrieved 14 February 2026.
Yager, Jill (1989). "Pleomothra apletocheles and Godzilliognomus frondosus, two new genera and species of remipede crustaceans (Godzilliidae) from anchialine caves of the Bahamas" (PDF). Bulletin of Marine Science. 44 (3): 1195–1206. S2CID 88283550.
"Species 2000 & ITIS Catalogue of Life: 2011 Annual Checklist". Species 2000: Reading, UK. 24 September 2012.
Koenemann, Stefan; Iliffe, Thomas M.; Ziegler, Maren (1 January 2008). "Pleomothra Fragilis N. Sp. (Remipedia) from the Bahamas, with Remarks on Morphologic Reductions and Postnaupliar Development". Journal of Crustacean Biology. 28 (1): 128–136. Bibcode:2008JCBio..28..128K. doi:10.1651/07-2865R.1. eISSN 1937-240X. ISSN 0278-0372. JSTOR 20487708. S2CID 20487708.

External links

Data related to Pleomothra at Wikispecies

[WoRMS-1] Koenemann S, Hoenemann M, Stemme T, eds. (2026). "Pleomothra Yager, 1989". World Remipedia Database. World Register of Marine Species. Retrieved 14 February 2026.

[2] Yager, Jill (1989). "Pleomothra apletocheles and Godzilliognomus frondosus, two new genera and species of remipede crustaceans (Godzilliidae) from anchialine caves of the Bahamas" (PDF). Bulletin of Marine Science. 44 (3): 1195–1206. S2CID 88283550.

[COL-3] "Species 2000 & ITIS Catalogue of Life: 2011 Annual Checklist". Species 2000: Reading, UK. 24 September 2012.

[Pleomothra_Fragilis_N._Sp-4] Koenemann, Stefan; Iliffe, Thomas M.; Ziegler, Maren (1 January 2008). "Pleomothra Fragilis N. Sp. (Remipedia) from the Bahamas, with Remarks on Morphologic Reductions and Postnaupliar Development". Journal of Crustacean Biology. 28 (1): 128–136. Bibcode:2008JCBio..28..128K. doi:10.1651/07-2865R.1. eISSN 1937-240X. ISSN 0278-0372. JSTOR 20487708. S2CID 20487708.

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