Stomatopoda

Stomatopoda, an order of Crustacea, including the genus Squilla or the Locust Shrimps. The order is characterised by the possession of a short cephalothoracic shield, or plate, protecting the anterior part of the body. The abdomen is large, and the branchiae or gills occur on the bases of the limbs beneath it. The shell is generally thin and flexible. They are all marine; the earliest form which is certainly referable to this order occurs in the Jurassic.