Family AUSTRARCTURELLIDAE Poore & Bardsley, 1992

Austrarcturella cava

© Copyright from Hale 1946.

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Introduction

The family Austrarcturellidae comprises 42 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). The diagnosis is from Poore (2001).

Diagnosis

Body flexed between pereonites 4 and 5. Head and pereonite 1 fused. Pereonite 4 of similar length to pereonite 3. All pleonites fused into pleotelson, or pleonite 1 articulating with fused pleotelson (most species of Dolichiscus). Body variously tuberculate or spinose, but never with posterior dorsolateral pair of strong spines on pleotelson; pleotelson with dorsolateral ridges usually ending in mediodorsal posterior spine. Dorsal coxal plates 2–7 obsolete, bases of pereopods exposed. Mouthparts and pereopod 1 visible in lateral view. Eyes well developed, or reduced or lost.

Antenna 2 flagellum of 2–3 articles plus distal claw. Pereopod 1 a gnathopod, pereopods 2–4 elongated, differentiated from ambulatory pereopods 5–7. Pereopod 1 dactylus usually with anterior lobe on anterior margin, constricted and tapering distally. Pereopods 2–4 with paired long setae along posterior margins evenly and well developed; with minute dactylus, unguis setiform; pereopod 4 shorter and less setose than pereopods 2 and 3. Pereopods of males without dense fur of fine setae. Uropodal exopod (smaller ramus) tapering (with terminal setae only), more than half as long as endopod (when present).

Oostegites 1–4 functional, 5 vestigial lobes, or 1–4 functional, 5 absent; 1–4 supported by coxal lobes. Penes fused as a single penial plate; penial plate apically simple or barely slit. Pleopod 1 peduncle more elongate than on other pleopods; with marginal setae on rami longer than or equal to length of rami. Pleopod 1 exopod of male thickened and with groove on posterior face, with few simple setae along straight lateral margin; with groove on posterior face of exopod ending distolaterally or laterally on simple margin (Dolichiscus), or ending on basally derived branch of exopod. Pleopod 2 of male with appendix masculina twice length of endopod, basally less than half width of endopod.

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

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