Paramysis


Paramysis is a genus of mysid crustaceans in family Mysidae, distributed in coastal zone of low boreal East Atlantic Ocean, Mediterranean Sea and the basins of Black Sea, Sea of Azov and Caspian Sea.

Biogeography

The majority of Paramysis species are brackish- or freshwater endemics of the Ponto-Caspian Basin; some of them naturally spread more than up large rivers, including the Volga, Don, Dnieper and Danube. A number of Ponto-Caspian species have been introduced outside the native range. Marine species from the Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea have probably descended from ancient Ponto-Caspian populations.

Diversity

There are 24 species classified into 7 subgenera. Body length ranges from. The largest species, like P. eurylepis, P. inflata, are found only in the Caspian Sea. Generic characters: subrostral plate; large eyes on short stalk; antennal scale with smooth outer margin, ended by strong spine, and distal segment rudimentary with five setae; four segments of pereiopod 1–4 carpopropodus; five segments in pleopod 4 of male. Consumed by fishes; particularly important for juvenile sturgeons and zander.
Two extinct species, previously included into this genus, have been recently moved into extinct genus Sarmysis.

Species

;Subgenus Paramysis sensu stricto
;Subgenus Metamysis G. O. Sars, 1893
  • Paramysis grimmi
  • Paramysis inflata
  • Paramysis ullskyi Czerniavsky, 1882
;Subgenus Serrapalpisis Daneliya, 2004
  • Paramysis incerta G. O. Sars, 1895
  • Paramysis kosswigi Băcescu, 1948
  • Paramysis lacustris
  • Paramysis sowinskii Daneliya, 2002
;Subgenus Mesomysis Czerniavsky, 1882
;Subgenus Nanoparamysis Daneliya, 2004
  • Paramysis loxolepis
;Subgenus Longidentia Daneliya, 2004
;Subgenus Pseudoparamysis Băcescu, 1940
  • Paramysis bacescoi Labat, 1953
  • Paramysis pontica
;Incertae sedis
  • Paramysis festae Colosi, 1922
  • Paramysis portzicensis Nouvel, 1950
  • Paramysis proconnesia Colosi, 1922
  • ''Paramysis arenosa''