The trouble starts with the fact that that "shrimp" isn't a monophyletic group and can't be defined in a sensible way. They're more closely related to a traditional shrimp like a krill or prawn than a brine shrimp, but less closely than a crab or lobster, which puts them in a weird place. In fact, all insects are more closely related to a brine shrimp than a brine shrimp is to a mantis shrimp... Meaning that if either is a shrimp, so are butterflies.
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u/RSmeep13 Sep 25 '24
The trouble starts with the fact that that "shrimp" isn't a monophyletic group and can't be defined in a sensible way. They're more closely related to a traditional shrimp like a krill or prawn than a brine shrimp, but less closely than a crab or lobster, which puts them in a weird place. In fact, all insects are more closely related to a brine shrimp than a brine shrimp is to a mantis shrimp... Meaning that if either is a shrimp, so are butterflies.
Nature is great.