Dahlella

Dahlella is a genus of leptostracan crustacean which lives on hydrothermal vents in the Pacific Ocean. The only species is Dahlella caldariensis.

Description

Dahlella may reach a length of from the base of the rostrum to the end of the abdomen. Much of the animal is covered by a large, hinged carapace.
Dahlella can be distinguished from other animals in the same family by the presence of a row of denticles on the eyestalks, which it is believed are used to scrape surfaces for food. A similar character is found in Paranebalia, but the form of the eyestalk is very different in the two taxa.

Distribution

Dahlella caldariensis has been recorded from a small number of sites around hydrothermal vents in the eastern Pacific Ocean near the Galápagos Islands and on the East Pacific Rise. It is one of the deepest-living species of Leptostraca, having been found at depths of over.

Etymology

The generic name Dahlella commemorates the biologist Erik Dahl of the University of Lund. The specific epithet comes from the Latin word caldaria meaning hot bath, and is a reference to the natural habitat of D. caldariensis.