Family ANTHELURIDAE Poore & Lew Ton, 1988

Ananthura billarderia

© Copyright from Poore & Lew Ton 1988.

Museums

Regional Maps

• Antheluridae Poore, G.C.B. & Lew Ton, H.M. 1988. Antheluridae, a new family of Crustacea (Isopoda: Anthuridea) with new species from Australia. Journal of Natural History 22: 489-506 [490].

  Type genus:

   Anthelura Norman & Stebbing, 1886.

Introduction

Antheluridae are a small family with non-produced mouthparts and a single median telsonic statocyst. All have a row of serrate setae along the extensor margin of pereopod 7 (Poore and Lew Ton, 1988; Poore, 2001). The Antheluridae are an uncommon, but cosmopolitan family found from the shelf to the deep sea. Only 18 species are known. Poore & Lew Ton (1988) and Poore (2001) listed all the species known, provided keys to the three genera, and recorded three species from Australia.

Diagnosis

Body 10–15 times as long as wide, non-males rarely more elongate (pereonite 7 wider than long, much shorter than pereonite 6); pleonites with plumose setae on margins of epimera or posterior margins of pleonite 5 and sometimes pleonite 4; pleonites 1–5 together not more than twice as long as wide; pleonites 1–5 free and articulating; telson statocyst single. Antennal flagellum of numerous articles. Mouthparts not produced anteriorly. Mandible compact and with weakly-toothed transverse incisor. Maxillipedal palp broad (c. twice as long as wide). Pereopods 2–3 carpus not or weakly produced posterodistally. Pereopod 7 propodus anterodistal serrate setae present. Pleopod 1 exopod operculiform alone.

General References

Poore, G.C.B. 2001. Families and genera of Isopoda Anthuridea. Crustacean Issues 13: 63-173

Poore, G.C.B. & Lew Ton, H.M. 1988. Antheluridae, a new family of Crustacea (Isopoda: Anthuridea) with new species from Australia. Journal of Natural History 22: 489-506

History of changes