Global diversity in the Thalassinidea (Decapoda)

Among the 516 taxa of thalassinideans so far described, there is a strong latitudinal increase in species numbers from high latitudes towards the equator in both hemispheres. Numbers of species in the northern hemisphere are similar to those in the southern one. Thirty-two percent of the species are found in the Indo-West Pacific and 22% in the Southwest Atlantic. All species are benthic and live either in marine or brackish water. Ninety-Eve percent of all thalassinideans inhabit shallow water (0-200 m); only three species have been found below 2,000 m. Especially the families Callianassidae, Upogebiidae, Thalassinidae, and Strahlaxiidae occur in the intertidal to very shallow waters (0-20 m), while most members of the Axiidae and Calocarididae are bathyal (200-2,000 m).