Infraorder ASTACIDEA Latreille, 1802

Museums

Museum list

Regional Maps

Infraorder ASTACIDEA Latreille, 1802

Compiler and date details

October 2011 - Peter Davie, Queensland Museum

Introduction

The Astacidea includes the crayfish and clawed lobsters. Of most significance in Australia are the Parastacidae, the freshwater crayfish of the Southern Hemisphere. While they have a Gondwanan distribution they reach their greatest diversity in Australia with nine of the 14 recognised genera present here. Of especial interest is the recent discovery of a specimen of Neoglyphea inopinata Forest & de Saint Laurent, 1975, in the Arafura Sea to the north of Australia (Bruce 1988). The Glyphaeidae are lobster-like crustaceans, until recently believed to have been extinct for at least 38 million years.

Diagnosis

Carapace usually subcylindrical or subovoid; eyes stalked, compound; occasionally reduced or absent. Antennules biramous; peduncle 3-segmented. Antennal peduncle with five segments; with or without scaphocerite. Mandibles usually with palp. Maxillulae with endopodal palp. Maxillae biramous; with two bilobed endites. Endopod of first maxillipeds with two or fewer segments; usually with crista dentata. Pereiopods uniramous; first three pairs chelate, fifth often chelate. Abdomen with pleopods uni- or biramous; often with appendix masculina or other copulatory structures in males; telson, together with broad biramous uropods, forms tailfan. Segmentation: head with 5 + 3 thoracic (maxillipeds); thorax with 5; abdomen with 6, excluding telson. Sexes separate; gonopores on coxae of third pereiopods of female, on fifth of male; male often with appendix masculina or other copulatory structures; female often with annubus ventralis. (After McLaughlin 1980).