Superfamily ANTHUROIDEA Leach, 1814

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Superfamily ANTHUROIDEA Leach, 1814

Compiler and date details

Gary C.B. Poore & Helen M. Lew Ton

Introduction

There has never been any doubt about the monophyly of this group, long recognised as the Suborder Anthuridea erected by Monod (1922) for a group of isopods now including more than 500 species described in 87 nominal genera (Poore, 2000).

Norman & Stebbing (1886) recognised two sections within the Anthuridae, section A for those species with "biting" mouthparts and section B for those with "piercing" mouthparts. This division was followed by Barnard (1925) in the first major synthesis of the group which he considered "a preliminary study only". He discussed morphology at length and provided keys to 24 genera. He diagnosed all the species then known, adding 21 new ones and seven new genera. Barnard (1925) was unable to unambiguously define sections A and B on characters other than the general form of the mouthparts but he generalised about the statocyst, unguis of pereopod 1, the relative size of pereopods 1 and 2-3, and the telson. Menzies & Glynn (1968) elevated Norman & Stebbing's sections A and B to family rank, Anthuridae and Paranthuridae respectively.

Wägele (1981) reported on many observations of living animals and correlated feeding strategies and habitats with internal and external anatomy. His evolutionary analysis derived anthurideans from the flabelliferan isopods, from a hypothetical cirolanid-like ancestor. In this work he proposed the new family Hyssuridae. A fourth family, Antheluridae, was erected for members of three genera by Poore & Lew Ton (1988). Wägele (1989) revisited the phylogeny of the "Anthuridea" as part of a study of the Isopoda as a whole. His views that the Anthuridea were a highly derived group of flabelliferans was confirmed by Brusca & Wilson (1991).

Poore (2000) presented a new classification of the families and genera based on phylogenetic principles. Two new families, Leptanthuridae and Expanathuridae, were erected based on an evolutionary scenario hypothesised in cladistic analyses of genera and families. All families and 57 genera were diagnosed and illustrated dichotomous keys for their identification were given. The described species were listed.

Diagnosis

Elongate cylindrical isopods. Uropodal exopod attached to peduncle dorsally and more proximally than terminal endopod; exopod held erect or parallel to telson. Without extended coxal plates. Maxilla 2 fused with lower lip as a 'hypopharynx'.