Family JOEROPSIDIDAE Nordenstam, 1933

Rugojoeropsis rugosa

© Copyright from Just 2001.

Museums

Regional Maps

• Jaerospsini Nordenstam, A. 1933. Marine Isopoda of the families Serolidae, Idotheidae, Pseudidotheidae, Arcturidae, Parasellidae and Stenetriidae mainly from the South Atlantic. Further Zoological Results of the Swedish Antarctic Expedition, 1901-1903 3: 1-284 [190] [original spelling; misspelling based on commonly misspelled genus name Joeropsis Koehler, 1885; treated as a family name].

  Type genus:

   Joeropsis Koehler, 1885 [commonly misspelled as Jaeropsis].
• Joeropsidae Nordenstam, 1933 [subsequent misspelling].
• Jaeropsidae Nordenstam, 1933 [subsequent misspelling].

Introduction

The family Joeropsididae, particularly the genus Joeropsis, is distributed globally except in polar waters (Just, 2001; Bruce, 2015). Joeropsis is well represented in tropical coral-reefs worldwide but has been reported from slope depths. The family is readily recognised, even in the field, by the compact body shape, with a characteristically robust and reflexed antenna, and small, ventrolaterally in¬serted uropods with a large peduncle and tiny rami. Many species are coloured with brown patches. Most individuals are less than 2 mm long and few species reach more than 5 mm long.

A single genus was known until Just (2001) erected two more for just three species from the continental slope of southeastern Australia.

Diagnosis

Body flat, longer than wide, robust; head with rostrum; anterior pereonites with sternal keels. Coxal plates absent. Pleon of 1 evenly-rounded segment. Anus not covered by pleopodal operculum. Antenna geniculate, peduncular article 6 and flagellum folding laterally and backwards under lateral expansion of peduncular article 5. Mandibular molar spiniform. Maxillipedal palp articles 1–5 narrow, less than half as wide as endite. Uropod inserted in terminal incision of pleotelson; rami minute.

General References

Bruce, N.L. 2015. Joeropsididae Nordenstam, 1933 (Crustacea, Isopoda, Asellota) from the Lizard Island region of the Great Barrier Reef, Queensland, Australia. ZooKeys 491: 1–62

Just, J. 2001. Bathyal Joeropsididae (Isopoda: Asellota) from south-eastern Australia, with descriptions of two new genera. Memoirs of Museum Victoria 58: 297-333

History of changes