Ampithoidae is a family of amphipod crustaceans. The family has a worldwide distribution as algal dwellers. They commonly create tube-shaped nests on their host plants or algae which serve as both shelter and food. Young ampithoids develop from eggs to a larval stage within their mother's brood-pouch, formed by the appendages of her abdomen.

Genera

The World Register of Marine Species includes the following genera in this family:-

  • Amphithoides Kossmann, 1880
  • Amphitholina Ruffo, 1953
  • Ampithoe Leach, 1814
  • Austrothoe Peart, 2014
  • Biancolina Della Valle, 1893
  • Cymadusa Savigny, 1816
  • Exampithoe K.H. Barnard, 1926
  • Macropisthopus K.H. Barnard, 1916
  • Paradusa Ruffo, 1969
  • Paragrubia Chevreux, 1901
  • Paranexes Peart, 2014
  • Pleonexes Spence Bate, 1857
  • Plumithoe Barnard & Karaman, 1991
  • Pseudamphithoides Ortiz, 1976 (e.g. Pseudamphithoides incurvaria)
  • Pseudopleonexes Conlan, 1982
  • Sunamphitoe Spence Bate, 1857 (e.g. Sunamphitoe femorata)

Further reading

  • Cerda, Osvaldo; Hinojosa, Iván A.; Thiel, Martin (June 2010). "Nest-Building Behavior by the Amphipod Peramphithoe femorata (Krøyer) on the Kelp Macrocystis pyrifera (Linnaeus) C. Agardh From Northern-Central Chile". The Biological Bulletin. 218 (3): 248–258. doi:. hdl:. PMID . S2CID .
  • Peart, Rachael A.; Lörz, Anne-Nina (26 January 2018). . ZooKeys (733): 25–48. Bibcode:. doi:. PMC . PMID .