Family COLOMASTIGIDAE Stebbing, 1899

Yulumara wallanger

© Copyright from Barnard 1972: fig. 12.

Museums

Regional Maps

Introduction

Colomastigids are a small family group of two genera and about 47 described species (43 Colomastix; 4 Yulumara) (see LeCroy, 1995 for a review of family). Colomastigids are usually associated with sponges and tunicates in warm to cold temperate shallow seas. The two genera, keyed in Barnard and Karaman (1991), are very distinct from each other. Yulumara J.L. Barnard (1972) appears to be a Gondwanan genus known only from Australia and southern Africa. LeCroy (2009) recently recorded six species from the Great Barrier Reef, increasing the Australian fauna to 12 species, about 23% of the world fauna.

Diagnosis

Head as long as deep or deeper than long; anteroventral margin weakly recessed, straight or oblique; anteroventral corner rounded; rostrum short or absent; eyes well developed (round), obsolescent or absent. Body subcylindrical; smooth. Antenna 1 subequal to, or longer than antenna 2; peduncular article 1 subequal to, or longer than article 2; article 2 longer than article 3; article 3 shorter than article 1; peduncular articles 1–2 geniculate or not; peduncular articles 2–3 geniculate or not; accessory flagellum present or absent; primary flagellum less than 5-articulate; callynophore absent. Antenna 2 short; flagellum shorter than peduncle; less than 5-articulate. Mandible incisor dentate; molar small, medium or absent, non-triturating; palp absent. Maxilla 1 inner plate weakly setose apically; palp 1-articulate. Maxilliped inner plates reduced; outer plates small. Coxae 1–4 longer than broad or broader than long, overlapping. Gnathopod 1 not sexually dimorphic; smaller (or weaker) than gnathopod 2; simple; coxa subequal to coxa 2; carpus subequal to, or longer than propodus; dactylus large or minute. Gnathopod 2 sexually dimorphic; simple, carpochelate or subchelate; coxa subequal to but not hidden by coxa 3; ischium short; carpus short or long, shorter than, subequal to, or longer than propodus. Pereopod 3 coxa longer than broad or broader than long; carpus shorter than propodus, not produced. Pereopod 4 coxa subequal to coxa 3, without posteroventral lobe; carpus not produced. Pereopod 5 longer than, subequal to, or shorter than pereopod 6; coxa subequal to coxa 4, without posterior lobe; basis slightly expanded or linear, subrectangular, without posteroventral lobe; carpus linear. Pereopod 6 subequal to pereopod 7; basis slightly expanded or linear. Pereopod 7 subequal to pereopod 5; basis linear, subrectangular. Urosomites 1 free, 2 and 3 coalesced. Uropods 1–2 apices of rami without robust setae. Uropod 3 biramous or uniramous; peduncle short; rami styliform, lanceolate or palmate; outer ramus shorter than, subequal to, or longer than peduncle; inner ramus not apically setose. Telson laminar; entire; longer than broad or as long as broad; dorsal and apical robust setae absent.

General References

Barnard, J.L. 1972. Gammaridean Amphipoda of Australia, Part I. Smithsonian Contributions to Zoology 103: i-vi 1-333

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

LeCroy, S.E. 1995. Amphipod Crustacea III. Family Colomastigidae. Memoirs of the Hourglass Cruises 9(3): 1-139

LeCroy, S.E. 2009. Colomastigidae. pp. 348-372 in Lowry, J.K. & Myers, A.A. (eds). Benthic Amphipoda (Crustacea: Peracarida) of the Great Barrier Reef, Australia. Zootaxa 2260: 1-930

Stebbing, T.R.R. 1899. Revision of Amphipoda (continued). Annals and Magazine of Natural History 7 4: 205-211

History of changes