Belzebub (crustacean)

Belzebub is a genus of prawns in the family Luciferidae. The species which make up the genus Belzebub were formerly placed in the genus Lucifer but were separated to form Belzebub after a cladistic analysis. They are very small planktonic benthic prawns with an extreme lateral compression of the carapace and elongated mandibles and anteriors of the pereiopods, but lacking pereiopods 4 and 5 and any gills. The pereiopods either lack chelae or they are substantially reduced. The sixth abdominal segment of males has two ventral processes and the telson has a strong ventral process.