Family CALLICHIRIDAE Manning & Felder, 1991

Museums

Regional Maps

• Callichirinae Manning, R.B. & Felder, D.L. 1991. Revision of the American Callianassidae (Crustacea: Decapoda: Thalassinidea). Proceedings of the Biological Society of Washington 104(4): 764-792 [775–776] [original spelling].
• Callichiridae Manning & Felder, 1991.

Introduction

Callichirid ghost shrimps inhabit estuarine and marine sediments from the intertidal to slope depths. The family is cosmopolitan in temperate and tropical regions (Dworschak 2005). They build permanent burrows with inhalent and exhalent openings on the seafloor or inhabit burrows under rocks. The shrimps leave their burrows to collect plant detritus and sediment that they sequester in chambers in the burrows. The bioengineering effects of this behaviour in the biology and chemistry of sediments was extensive reviewed by Dworschak et al. (2012).

Callichirids differ from the other large callianassoid family, Callianassidae, in the shape of the anterior branchiostegal margin of the carapace. In callichirids the anterior branchiostegal lobe is sclerotised and articulates with the anterodorsal margin of the branchiostegite whereas in callianassids this anterior margin is simple or with a slight notch. Callichirids usually have well developed male pleopods 1 and 2, and pleopod 2 of both sexes broad, not styliform as in callianassids (Poore et al. 2019).

Diagnosis

Carapace anterior branchiostegal margin interrupted by an oblique sclerotised ridge; anterior branchiostegal lobe sclerotised, well produced anteriorly beyond junction with oblique branchiostegal ridge which it meets level with linea thalassinica or with which it articulates by means of a virtual condyle. Scaphocerite rudimentary. Maxilliped 3 propodus about as wide as long or longer than wide. Uropodal exopod with elevated dorsal plate.

Diagnosis References

Poore, G.C.B.,& Ahyong, S.T. 2023. Marine decapod Crustacea. A guide to families and genera of the World. Melbourne : CSIRO Publishing pp. 928.

General References

Dworschak, P.C. 2005. Global diversity of Thalassinidea (Decapoda): an update (1998-2004). Nauplius 13: 57-63

Dworschak, P.C., Felder, D.F. & Tudge, C.C. 2012. Chapter 69. Infraorders Axiidea de Saint Laurent, 1979 and Gebiidea de Saint Laurent, 1979 (formerly known collectively as Thalassinidea). pp.109-219 in Schram, F.R., & von Vaupel Klein, J.C. Treatise on Zoology - Anatomy, Taxonomy, Biology. The Crustacea. Complementary to the volumes translated from the French of the Traité de Zoologie [founded by P.-P. Grassé]. Vol. 9 Part B. Eucarida: Decapoda: Astacidea p.p. (Enoplometopoidea, Nephropoidea), Glypheidea, Axiidea, Gebiidea, and Anomura. Leiden : Brill.

Poore, G.C.B., Dworschak, P.C., Robles, R. Mantelatto, F.L. & Felder, D.L 2019. A new classification of Callianassidae and related families (Crustacea: Decapoda: Axiidea) derived from a molecular phylogeny with morphological support. Memoirs of Museum Victoria 78: 73-146

History of changes