Family AUSTRARCTURELLIDAE Poore & Bardsley, 1992

Austrarcturella cava

© Copyright from Hale 1946.

Museums

Regional Maps

• Austrarcturellidae Poore, G.C.B. & Bardsley, T.M. 1992. Austrarcturellidae (Crustacea: Isopoda: Valvifera), a new family from Australasia. Invertebrate Taxonomy 6: 843-908 [845].

Introduction

The inverted boat-shaped pleotelson and pereopod 4 shorter than pereopods 2 and 3 enable most species to be distinguished from similar Antarcturidae. All are shelf or deep-sea species, concentrated in the Southern Hemisphere. The family Austrarcturellidae comprises 45 species in five genera. All genera except Dolichiscus are confined to Australia and New Zealand; animals are found on the shelf and continental slope (Poore & Bardsley 1992).

Diagnosis

Body more or less cylindrical, without coxal dorsal plates or pleonal epimera, flexed between pereonites 4 and 5, anterior segments held slightly erect. Pleotelson with dorsolateral ridges usually ending in mediodorsal posterior spine. Pereopod 1 gnathopod-like; pereopods 2–4 elongated, with even rows of long filter-setae, differentiated from ambulatory pereopods 5–7, pereopod 4 shorter and less setose than pereopods 2 and 3; with minute dactyli, unguis setiform. Uropodal exopod (smaller ramus) tapering (with terminal seta or setae only). Pleopod 1 peduncle more elongate than rami, longer than on pleopods 2 and 3; exopod of male thickened and with groove on posterior face, ending distolaterally or laterally on simple margin (Dolichiscus) or ending on basally derived branch of exopod.

General References

Poore, G.C.B. 2001. Isopoda Valvifera: diagnoses and relationships of the families. Journal of Crustacean Biology 21: 205-230

Poore, G.C.B. & Bardsley, T.M. 1992. Austrarcturellidae (Crustacea: Isopoda: Valvifera), a new family from Australasia. Invertebrate Taxonomy 6: 843-908

History of changes