Family ACANTHASPIDIIDAE Menzies, 1962

Mexicope westralia

© Copyright from Just 2001.

Museums

Regional Maps

• Acanthaspidiidae Menzies, R.J. 1962. The isopods of the abyssal depths in the Atlantic Ocean. Vema Research Series 1: 79-206 [177].

  Type genus:

   Acanthispidia Stebbing, 1893 [accepted as Iolanthe Beddard, 1886 (unaccepted, junior subjective synonym)].

Introduction

Acanthaspiids are largely deep-sea isopods with some emerging in shallow shores. Most can be easily recognised by the presence of lateral processes, often bifurcate, on the pereonites but these are not well developed in some species. Brandt (1991) revised the family and listed the two genera and species then known. Her key to these two genera, Acanthaspidia (now Iolanthe) and Ianthopsis is not reliable and they appear to overlap for most of the characters in her key. Just (2001) rediagnosed the family, discussing specialisation of the male pleopod 2, and added a third genus. Adults range from 2.5 to 5.4 mm long.

Diagnosis

Body strongly depressed, broadly oval; head usually with prominent narrow rostrum; pereonites with lateral projections, bifurcate on 2–4 or 2–7. Pleon of 1 segment, with serrate margins. Anus covered by pleopodal operculum. Eyes present or absent. Antennal scale long. Maxillipedal palp articles 1–5 narrow, less than half as wide as endite. Pereopods 1–7 ambulatory; pereopod 4 coxa inserting on midlateral margin; pereopodal 2–7 dactyli with 2 claws. Uropod inserting on posterior margin, biramous, usually with long peduncle.

General References

Brandt, A. 1991. A revision of the Acanthaspidiidae Menzies, 1962 (Isopoda: Asellota). Journal of the Linnean Society of London, Zoology 102: 203-252

Just, J. 2001. New species of Mexicope, stat. nov. and Ianthopsis from Australia and a rediagnosis of the Acanthaspidiidae (Isopoda: Asellota). Invertebrate Taxonomy 15: 909-925

History of changes