Carcinology is a branch of
zoology that consists of the study of
crustaceans. Crustaceans are a large class of
arthropods classified by having a hard exoskeleton made of
chitin or chitin and
calcium, three body regions, and jointed, paired appendages.[1] Crustaceans include
lobsters,
crayfish,
shrimp,
krill,
copepods,
barnacles and
crabs.[2] Most crustaceans are aquatic, but some can be
terrestrial,
sessile, or
parasitic. Other names for carcinology are malacostracology, crustaceology, and crustalogy, and a person who studies crustaceans is a carcinologist or occasionally a malacostracologist, a crustaceologist, or a crustalogist.