Family AORIDAE Stebbing, 1899
Globosolembos ruffoi (Myers, 1975)
© Copyright from Myers 1988b: fig. 54
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Family AORIDAE Stebbing, 1899
Introduction
Aorid amphipods belong to the corophioid group on the basis that they have a fleshy telson and glands in the basis of pereopods 3 and 4. Myers (1981), in his family level revision of the corophioid family level taxa, redefined the Aoridae. Barnard (1973) assimilated the Aoridae into the Corophiidae. Most authors since then, except Barnard & Karaman (1991), have maintained the Aoridae as a separate family, but because of the wide morphological diversity of the group there are no diagnostic characters. Myers & Lowry (2003) proposed a new phylogenetic classification which restricts the aorids to a monophyletic group. There is no current key to the aorid genera. Lowry, Berents & Springthorpe (2001) provided a monograph and interactive key to Australian species.
The Aoridae are a shallow-water, cosmopolitan group. They are nestlers which live among algae and seagrasses and can be seasonally abundant (Edgar 1983, 1990).They also live in heavily silted situations where they build tubes attached to hard substrata (Myers pers. comm.). Little is known of their life-styles or mating behaviour (see Conlan 1991). Myers & Moore (1983) reported on species of Aora from south-eastern Australia and provided a key to the males of the world species. Myers (1988a) proposed the Aorinae and discussed the phylogeny and biogeography of this group. Myers (1988b) reported on 26 species in the aorine group from Australian waters with keys to genera and species. There are currently 46 genera in the Aoridae.
Diagnosis
Head exposed; as long as or longer than deep; anteroventral margin weakly, moderately or strongly recessed, concave or oblique and deeply, shallowly or moderately excavate; anteroventral corner rounded, subquadrate or hooked; rostrum short or absent; eyes well developed (round, ovoid or reniform), obsolescent or absent. Body laterally compressed or subcylindrical; smooth; with sparse slender setae or with sparse slender or robust dorsal setae on urosome or without setae. Antenna 1 subequal to, or longer than antenna 2; peduncular article 1 shorter than, subequal to, or longer than article 2; article 2 longer than article 3; article 3 shorter than article 1; accessory flagellum present or absent; primary flagellum less than or more than 5-articulate; callynophore absent. Antenna 2 short, medium length or long; peduncle with many or sparse robust or slender setae; flagellum shorter than peduncle; less than or more than 5-articulate. Mandible incisor dentate; lacinia mobilis present on both sides; molar small or medium, fully triturating; palp present or absent. Maxilla 1 inner plate strongly setose along medial margin or weakly setose apically. Maxilliped inner plates well developed; outer plates large or small. Coxae 1–7 well developed or reduced. Coxae 1–4 longer than broad, as long as broad or broader than long, overlapping or discontiguous, coxa 1 anteroventrally acuminate or not. Gnathopod 1 sexually dimorphic or not; smaller (or weaker), subequal to, or larger (or stouter) than gnathopod 2; simple, merochelate, carpochelate, subchelate or parachelate; coxa smaller than, subequal to, or larger than coxa 2; carpus shorter than, subequal to, or longer than propodus, slightly, strongly or not produced along posterior margin of propodus. Gnathopod 2 sexually dimorphic (rarely) or not (usually); simple, subchelate or parachelate; coxa smaller than and mostly hidden by coxa 3, subequal to but not hidden by coxa 3 or larger than coxa 3; ischium short; carpus short or long, shorter than, subequal to, or longer than propodus; dactylus minute or absent. Pereopods heteropodous (3–4 directed posteriorly, 5–7 directed anteriorly) or heteropodous (3–5 directed posteriorly, 6–7 directed anteriorly); some, all or none prehensile; 3–4 with glandular basis. Pereopod 3 coxa longer than broad, as long as broad or broader than long; carpus shorter than, subequal to, or longer than propodus, not produced. Pereopod 4 coxa subequal to coxa 3, without posteroventral lobe; carpus shorter than, subequal to, or longer than propodus, not produced. Pereopod 5 shorter than pereopod 6; coxa subequal to or larger than coxa 4, with or without posterodorsal lobe; basis expanded, slightly expanded or linear, subrectangular or subquadrate, without posteroventral lobe; carpus linear; dactylus well developed, small or poorly developed with a few subterminal setae or setae absent. Pereopod 6 shorter than or subequal to pereopod 7; basis expanded, slightly expanded or linear. Pereopod 7 longer than pereopod 5 or immensely long; basis expanded, slightly expanded or linear, subrectangular, subovate or subquadrate, with or without dense long slender setae. Pleonites 1–3 with or without slender or robust dorsal setae. Epimeron 2 setose or without setae. Urosome dorsoventrally flattened or not; urosomites 1–3 free or 1 free, 2 and 3 coalesced; urosomite 1 subequal to, longer or much longer than urosomite 2. Uropods 1–2 apices of rami with robust setae. Uropod 1 peduncle with or without 1 or 2 basofacial robust setae, with or without ventromedial spur. Uropod 2 with or without ventromedial spur. Uropod 3 biramous, uniramous or rami absent; peduncle short or long, with or without medial process; rami lanceolate; outer ramus shorter than, subequal to, or longer than peduncle; inner ramus apically setose or not. Telson thickened dorsoventrally; emarginate or entire; longer than broad, as long as broad or broader than long; dorsal and apical robust setae present or absent.
General References
Barnard, J.L. 1973. Revision of the Corophiidae and related families (Amphipoda). Smithsonian Contributions to Zoology 151: 1-27
Barnard, J.L. & Karaman, G.S. 1991. The families and genera of marine gammaridean Amphipoda (except marine gammaroids). Records of the Australian Museum, Supplement 13: 1-866
Conlan, K.E. 1991. Precopulatory mating behavior and sexual dimorphism in the amphipod Crustacea. pp. 255-282 in Watling, L. (ed.). VIIth International Colloquium on Amphipoda. Hydrobiologia 223: i-viii, 1-299
Edgar, G.J. 1983. The ecology of south-eastern Tasmanian phytal animal communities. I. Spatial organisation on a local scale. Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology 70: 129-157
Edgar, G.J. 1990. Population regulation, population dynamics and competition amongst mobile epifauna associated with seagrass. Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology 144: 205-234
Myers, A.A. 1981. Amphipod Crustacea I. Family Aoridae. Memoirs of the Hourglass Cruises 5(5): 1-73
Myers, A.A. 1988a. A cladistic and biogeographic analysis of the Aorinae subfamily nov. Crustaceana Suppl. 13: 167-192
Myers, A.A. 1988b. The genera Archaeobemlos n.gen., Bemlos Shoemaker, Protolembos Myers and Globosolembos Myers (Amphipoda, Aoridae, Aorinae) from Australia. Records of the Australian Museum 40: 265-332
Myers, A.A. & Lowry, J.K. 2003. A phylogeny and a new classification of the Corophiidea Leach, 1814 (Amphipoda). Journal of Crustacean Biology 23(2): 443-485
Myers, A.A. & Moore, P.G. 1983. The New Zealand and south-east Australian species of Aora Krøyer (Amphipoda, Gammaridea). Records of the Australian Museum 35: 167-180
Stebbing, T.R.R. 1899. Revision of Amphipoda (continued). Annals and Magazine of Natural History 7 4: 205-211
History of changes
| Published | As part of group | Action Date | Action Type | Compiler(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 05-Aug-2022 | AMPHIPODA | 12-Feb-2013 | MOVED | Dr Jim Lowry (AM) |
| 05-Aug-2022 | 06-Feb-2013 | MODIFIED | ||
| 05-Aug-2022 | 22-Nov-2012 | MODIFIED | ||
| 05-Aug-2022 | 31-Mar-2010 | ADDED | ||
| 05-Aug-2022 | 31-Mar-2010 | ADDED | ||
| 05-Aug-2022 | 02-Jul-2010 | MODIFIED | ||
| 12-Feb-2010 | (import) |