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Macrohectopidae
Macrohectopus branickii is a species of amphipod (a group containing the scuds) living in the pelagic zone of Lake Baikal, believed to be the only species of amphipod in this niche within freshwater (many more amphipods are pelagic/planktonic in the sea, such as the Hyperiids). It is the only known species within the genus Macrohectopus and the only member of the family Macrohectopidae.
The sheer scale of Lake Baikal allows many species, including M. branickii, to occupy niches which do not exist in other freshwater ecosystems. These pelagic amphipods are prey to many animals within its ecosystem, including the top aquatic predator of the lake, the Baikal seal.
1 branches of this family, most-observed first
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Where it lives
Recorded sightings
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geo-referenced records in GBIF, from museums, herbaria and field observers.
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In the stacks
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Every page naming Macrohectopidae in the Biodiversity Heritage Library →
This page is assembled live from iNaturalist, GBIF, Wikipedia, the Source Library and the Internet Archive. It is not yet part of the hand-edited codex. iNaturalist taxon 983372.