Decapodiformes is a superorder of Cephalopoda comprising all cephalopod species with ten limbs, specifically eight short arms and two long tentacles. It is hypothesized that the ancestral coleoid had five identical pairs of limbs, and that one branch of descendants evolved a modified arm pair IV to become the Decapodiformes, while another branch of descendants evolved and then eventually lost its arm pair II, becoming the Octopodiformes.
| Decapodiformes Temporal range: | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Juvenile cephalopod from plankton, Antarctica | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Mollusca |
| Class: | Cephalopoda |
| (unranked): | Neocoleoidea |
| Superorder: | Decapodiformes Leach, 1817[2] |
| Orders | |
See text | |
| Synonyms | |
| |
Taxonomy
The following orders are recognised in the superorder Decapodiformes:[3]
- Bathyteuthida
- †Belemnitida
- †Diplobelida
- Idiosepida
- Myopsida – coastal squid
- Oegopsida – neritic squid
- Sepiida – cuttlefish, pygmy, bobtail and bottletail squid
- Spirulida – ram's horn squid
References
Further reading
- Young, Richard E.; Vecchione, Michael; Donovan, Desmond T. (1998). "The evolution of coleoid cephalopods and their present biodiversity and ecology". South African Journal of Marine Science. 20 (1): 393–420. doi:10.2989/025776198784126287. abstract