Family ARISTEIDAE Wood-Mason in Wood-Mason & Alcock, 1891

Museums

Regional Maps

• Aristeinae Wood-Mason, J. 1891. Phylum Appendiculata. Branch Arthropoda. Class Crustacea. In Wood-Mason, J. & Alcock, A., Natural history notes from H.M. Indian marine survey steamer "Investigator", Commander R.F. Hoskyn, R.N., commanding. No. 21. Note on the results of deep sea dredging during the season 1890–91. Annals and Magazine of Natural History 6 8: 269-286 [Date published October 1891] [278] [as Aristaeina; name in the corrected spelling, Aristeinae, placed on the Official List of Family-Group Names in Zoology, see International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature 1969. Opinion 864. Penaeid generic names (Crustacea, Decapoda): addition of twenty-eight to the Official List. Bulletin of Zoological Nomenclature 25: 138–147 (141)].

  Secondary source:

   International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature 1969. Opinion 864. Penaeid generic names (Crustacea, Decapoda): addition of twenty-eight to the Official List. Bulletin of Zoological Nomenclature 25: 138-147.

• Pérez Farfante, I. & Kensley, B. 1997. Penaeoid and sergestoid shrimps and prawns of the world. Keys and diagnoses for the families and genera. Mémoires du Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle, Paris [1936-1950] 175: 1-233 [33]

Introduction

Aristeid shrimps are deep-sea demersal or mesopelagic species found off the edge of the continental shelf at depths below 300 m. None occurs in shallow water. Two widespread species in particular, Aristaeomorpha foliacea and Aristeus antennata are of commercial interest because of their large size, up to 350 mm length, and high local densities. Others are exploited locally.

Some species may be confused superficially with oplophorid shrimps but can be separated on the dendrobranchiate gills and pleon. A key character distinguishing the family from other prawns is the disparity between the lengths of flagella of the antennule. Crosnier (1978) provided keys and detailed descriptions and figures of several species. Pérez Farfante & Kensley (1997) diagnosed the family and genera in detail and listed all species known at the time with distributions.

Few works have dealt directly with Australian aristeids, the most notable being by Grey et al. (1983) who provided accounts and colour pictures for several Australian species; Kensley et al. (1987) who reported a number of new Australian records; and Dall (2001) who doubled the number of species previously known and provided a key to genera.

Diagnosis

Body typically shrimp-like; integument soft, stiff but not rigid. Rostrum elongate, blade-like with dorsal and sometimes ventral teeth. Postorbital spine absent; with 3 postrostral teeth, or with 4 or more postrostral teeth. With at least 3 branchiae on some thoracic somites, at least 11 on each side. Prosartesma (mesial process on antennule article 1) reduced to setose boss.

Diagnosis References

Poore, G.C.B.,& Ahyong, S.T. 2023. Marine decapod Crustacea. A guide to families and genera of the World. Melbourne : CSIRO Publishing pp. 928.

General References

Dall, W. 2001. Australian species of Aristeidae and Benthesicymidae (Penaeoidea: Decapoda). Memoirs of the Queensland Museum 46(2): 409-441

Grey, D.L., Dall, W. & Baker, A. 1983. A Guide to the Australian Penaeid Prawns. Darwin : Northern Territory Government Printing Office 140 pp. 51 colour pls.

Kensley, B., Tranter, H.A. & Griffin, D.J.G. 1987. Deepwater Decapod Crustacea from Eastern Australia (Penaeidae and Caridea). Records of the Australian Museum 39: 263-331

Pérez Farfante, I. & Kensley, B. 1997. Penaeoid and sergestoid shrimps and prawns of the world. Keys and diagnoses for the families and genera. Mémoires du Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle, Paris [1936-1950] 175: 1-233

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