Northern krill | |
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Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Arthropoda |
Subphylum: | Crustacea |
Class: | Malacostraca |
Order: | Euphausiacea |
Family: | Euphausiidae |
Genus: |
Meganyctiphanes Holt & Tattersall, 1905 |
Species: | M. norvegica |
Binomial name | |
Meganyctiphanes norvegica (M. Sars, 1857) |
Northern krill, Meganyctiphanes norvegica, is a species of krill that lives in the North Atlantic Ocean. It is an important component of the zooplankton, providing food for whales, fish and birds. (In the Southern Ocean, Antarctic krill Euphausia superba fills a similar role.) M. norvegica is the only species recognised in the genus Meganyctiphanes, although it has been known by several synonyms: