Suborder
Valvifera (Valvetails)
Synidotea harfordi. Photo: (c) Chloe and Trevor Van Loon, some rights reserved (CC BY)
The Valvifera are marine isopod crustaceans. Valviferans are distinguished, however, by the flat, valve-like uropods which hinge laterally and fold inward beneath the rear part of their bodies, covering the pleopods. Some species are omnivorous, and serve as effective scavengers in the economy of the sea. Eleven families are recognised:
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