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Decapoda Either suborders: Natantia Reptantia or suborders: Dendrobranchiata Pleocyemata The decapods or Decapoda are a group of crustaceans within the class Malacostraca. They are usually considered to constitute an order, though some authorities may regard them as a subclass or suborder. The decapods include many familiar groups of crustaceans, including crabs, lobsters and shrimps, but also some families that are less well known. As their name implies, all decapods have ten legs; these are the last five of the eight pairs of thoracic appendages characteristic of crustaceans. The front three pairs function as mouthparts and are generally referred to as maxillipeds. However, in many decapods, one pair of legs has enlarged pincers; these are called chelae, so those legs are called chelipeds. Classification within the order Decapoda is currently under debate. Most older authorities divide them into two suborders, Natantia, the swimming decapods (basically, shrimps), and Reptantia, the walking decapods (crabs etc). A more recent scheme, however, makes use of the structure of the gills and legs, and the way in which the larvae develop. This gives rise to two suborders Dendrobranchiata and Pleocyemata. Some of the shrimps (including the common North American shrimps in genus Penaeus, such as the white shrimp P. setiferus) are placed within Dendrobranciata, while Natantia, containing the rest of the shrimps, becomes an infraorder within Pleocyemata (and is sometimes renamed Caridea). On this scheme, Pleocyemata also contains a number of other infraorders such Brachyura, the true crabs. Most Popular Articles: Music    Musical Instruments    Guitar    Classical Music    History    Music Definition    Country Music    Rock Music    Pop Music    Hip Hop    Rap    DJ    Video Games    Casino Games    Poker    Blackjack    Casinos    Real Estate    Loan    Auction    eBay    Marketing    Search Engine Optimization    File Sharing    MP3    Music Industry    Kazaa    Internet    Supermodel    Fashion    Fashion Designers    Erotica    Modeling    Clothing    Boots    Shoes    Diamond Engagement Rings    Diamond    Rugs    Gospel Music    Affiliate    E-Commerce    Radio This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License at http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html You may copy and modify it as long as the entire work (including additions) remains under this license. You must provide a link to http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html To view or edit this article at Wikipedia go to http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Decapoda