Diagnosis
Medial eye is absent. There are seven pairs of limbs; the fifth and sixth limbs are elongate with two or three setae on the terminal segment. The seventh pair is small, reduced to just two or three segments and terminally carries two relatively long setae. The copulatory appendage is a single structure placed asymmetrically on the left side of the abdomen. The anus opens ventrally of the caudal furca. The first pair of claw setae on the caudal furca are offset from the others. Most species are pelagic or benthopelagic, only a few are benthic. For detailed discussion see Kornicker and Sohn (1976).
Remarks
This suborder includes two superfamilies - Thaumatocypridoidea and Halocypridoidea; only species of the latter superfamily are described here.