Monstrilloida

Monstrilloida is an order of copepods with a cosmopolitan distribution in the world's oceans. The order contains a single family, Monstrillidae ^[1]; the family Thaumatopsyllidae was formerly included in the order, but is now usually placed in the Cyclopoida ^[3]. The taxonomy of the family is undergoing a period of revision ^[4], although some necessary changes are apparent; for instance, the genus Strilloma is now considered a taxonomic synonym of Monstrilla, the largest genus ^[5].

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The order is poorly known, biologically and ecologically, although the life cycle is known to differ from that of all other copepods ^[6]. The larvae are parasites of benthic polychaetes and gastropods, while the adults are planktonic and incapable of feeding, functioning solely to reproduce ^[7].

The family Monstrillidae is characterised by having a well-developed fourth pair of swimming legs, but a rudimentary or absent fifth pair. Adults have no oral appendages, and the mouth leads only to a short, blind pharynx. Females carry a long pair of spines to which the eggs are attached, while males have a "genital protuberance, which is provided with lappets"; in both sexes, the genitalia are very different to those of all other copepods ^[8].

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