Template:POTD/2020-04-26
Nototropis falcatus is a species of amphipod crustacean found in the northeastern Atlantic Ocean and North Sea, where it lives on the seabed. Growing to a length of about 7 mm (0.3 in), the third pereiopod or thoracic leg is particularly stout, and has a curved propodus (penultimate joint) and a powerful dactylus (claw). It can swim using its abdominal legs and orienting itself on its side, and can also burrow in the soft substrate. The species probably feeds by grazing on plant material and consuming detritus.
This picture shows an N. falcatus individual collected at a dredge disposal site off Zeebrugge, Belgium.Photograph credit: Hans Hillewaert