Nematocarcinidae Smith, 1884

Wicksten, Mary K., 2012, Decapod Crustacea of the Californian and Oregonian Zoogeographic Provinces 3371, Zootaxa 3371, pp. 1-307 : 48

Family Nematocarcinidae Smith, 1884

Sometimes called thread-leg shrimps, these deep-sea crustaceans are characterized by very long and thin pereopods, which often break off when collected. Studies on Atlantic species suggest that they are generalist feeders on benthic organisms. Females produce enormous numbers of eggs (2,400 –15,500 per female) ( Wenner 1979). Species are widespread in tropical to temperate seas .