Platyischnopidae is a family

Family (biology)

In biological classification, family is* a taxonomic rank. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, genus, and species, with family fitting between order and genus. As for the other well-known ranks, there is the option of an immediately lower rank, indicated by the...

 of amphipod

Amphipoda

Amphipoda is an order of malacostracan crustaceans with no carapace and generally with laterally compressed bodies. The name amphipoda means "different-footed", and refers to the different forms of appendages, unlike isopods, where all the legs are alike. Of the 7,000 species, 5,500 are classified...

 crustaceans. Its members are characterised by the conical rostrum

Rostrum (anatomy)

The term rostrum is used for a number of unrelated structures in different groups of animals:*In crustaceans, the rostrum is the forward extension of the carapace in front of the eyes....

, which is covered with sensory pits at the end. Although digging behaviour has only been directly observed in a few taxa, it is assumed that all the animals in the family Platyischnopidae are fossorial. The genera included in Platyischnopidae are Skaptopus, Platyischnopus, Indischnopus, Tiburonella, Eudevenopus, Tittakunara, Tomituka and Yurrokus.