'''''Azygocypridina lowryi''''', colloquially known as the '''baked bean''', is a species of [[ostracod]] [[crustacean]] or "seed shrimp" in the family [[Cypridinidae]]. It is found in deep waters off the east coast of Australia.
==Description==
''Azygocypridina lowryi'' grows to a length of about {{convert|1|cm|1|abbr=on}}. It has a shrimp-like body enclosed between a pair of translucent valves that are hinged at the top and are superficially similar to [[Bivalve shell|those]] of a [[Bivalvia|bivalve mollusc]]. The animal inside is a bright orange colour and can be seen through the valves which has led to local fishermen naming it the "baked bean".<ref name=nhm>{{cite web |url=http://www.nhm.ac.uk/nature-online/species-of-the-day/evolution/azygocypridina-lowryi/index.html |title=''Azygocypridina lowryi'' (the 'baked bean') |author=Parker, Andrew |date= |work= |publisher=Natural History Museum |accessdate=2012-12-05}}</ref> There are two pairs of long [[Antenna (biology)|antennae]] which project from the shell and which are used in swimming. The first pair bear long [[Iridescence|iridescent]] hairs. These act as a [[diffraction grating]] and cause iridescence by the diffraction of light in a manner similar to that which happens in a [[Holography|hologram]].<ref name=nhm/> Another unusual feature of this ostracod is the possession of a lateral eye which takes the form of a hairy flap of skin containing flecks of [[Photosensitivity|photosensitive]] pigment. This eye is unable to form a proper [[image]] but is able to detect differences in the intensity of light.<ref>{{cite journal |author=Oakley, Todd H.; Cunningham, Clifford W. |year=2002 |title=Molecular phylogenetic evidence for the independent evolutionary origin of an arthropod compound eye |journal=Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America |volume=99 |issue=3 |pages=1426–1430 |doi=10.1073/pnas.032483599 |pmid=11818548 |jstor=3057778}}</ref>
