Family ANTHURIDAE Leach, 1814

Mesanthura stypandra

© Copyright from Poore & Lew Ton 1986.

Museums

Regional Maps

• Anthuridae Leach, W.E. 1814. Crustaceology. pp. 383-437 in Brewster, D. Sir (ed.). The Edinburgh Encyclopaedia. Edinburgh : John Murray Baldwin & Cradocle Vol. 7 (2). [433].

Introduction

Anthurids are more or less cylindrical isopods with a tail fan comprising telson and uropods with the exopod held dorsally (with one exception). The mouthparts do not produce forwards. The telson has two basal statocysts (Poore, 2001). Adults are benthic, sometimes building tubes in all forms of sediment from estuarine mud to coral rubble. They appear to be predators on micro-invertebrates or scavengers. As far as is known, anthurids are protogynous hermaphrodites, that is, juvenile develop into females after the manca stage and later become males (Burbanck and Burbanck, 1974). Males are more rare than females and are differentiated from other stages, as in all anthuroids, by the possession of long antennulae with numerous aesthetascs, large eyes, and a more elongate body form. Males are presumed swimmers (Burbanck et al., 1979; Wägele, 1979). All anthurids are marine or estuarine benthic inhabitants of soft-bottom or algal environments. Males of most species have large eyes, aesthetasc-bearing first antennae and swim in the plankton. The only species studied ecologically are members of Cyathura, an estuarine genus (Burbanck et al. 1979; Wägele 1979). Wägele (1981) reviewed anthurid anatomy.

Barnard's (1925) review of the systematics of the family has been superseded by Poore's (2001) monograph. Negoescu & Wägele (1984) and more recently Poore (2001) listed all the genera and species known and provided a list of important literature. Poore (2001) provided a key to genera and numerous Australian species are keyed in recent publications.

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 without marginal plumose setae on pleonal epimera or posterior borders of pleonites 4 and 5; pleonites 1–5 together not more than twice as long as wide; pleonites 1–5 fused; telson statocysts paired. Antennal flagellum of fewer than 10 articles, shorter than peduncle. 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 absent. Pleopod 1 exopod operculiform alone.

General References

Barnard, K.H. 1925. A revision of the family Anthuridae (Crustacea, Isopoda), with remarks on certain morphological peculiarities. Journal of the Linnean Society of London, Zoology 36: 109-160

Burbanck, M.P., Burbanck, W.D., Dadswell, M.J. & Gillis, G.F. 1979. Occurrence and biology of Cyathura polita (Stimpson) (Isopoda, Anthuridae) in Canada. Crustaceana 37: 31-38

Leach, W.E. 1814. Crustaceology. pp. 383-437 in Brewster, D. Sir (ed.). The Edinburgh Encyclopaedia. Edinburgh : John Murray Baldwin & Cradocle Vol. 7 (2).

Negoescu, I. & Wägele, J.W. 1984. World list of the anthuridean isopods (Crustacea, Isopoda, Anthuridea). Travaux du Muséum d'Histoire Naturelle "Grigore Antipa" 25: 99-146

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

Poore, G.C.B. 2009. Leipanthura casuarina, new genus and species of anthurid isopod from Australian coral reefs without a “five-petalled” tail (Isopoda, Cymothoida, Anthuroidea). pp. 171-180 in Bruce, N. (Ed). Advances in the taxonomy and biogeography of Crustacea in the Southern Hemisphere. ZooKeys 18

Wägele, J.W. 1979. Der Fortpflanzungszyklus von Cyathura carinata (Isopoda, Anthuridea) im Nord-Ostee-Kanal. Helgoländer Wissenschaftliche Meeresuntersuchungen 32: 295-304

Wägele, J.W. 1981. Zur phylogenie der Anthuridea (Crustacea, Isopoda) mit Beiträgen zur Lebensweise, Morphologie, Anatomie und Taxonomie. Zoologica (Stuttgart) 132: 1-127

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