Family COROPHIIDAE Leach, 1814

Corophium acherusicum

© Copyright from Storey 1996: fig. 5.

Museums

Regional Maps

Introduction

In Barnard & Karman (1991), the Corophiidae was a huge family subsuming the families Aoridae, Isaeidae, Neomegamphopidae, Photidae and the Ischroceridae. Myers & Lowry (2003) completely revised the concept of Corophiidae and re-established these family-level groups, and incorporated the Siphonoecetinae in the Ischyroceridae. In this catalogue, the classification of Myers & Lowry (2003) is used. In this concept, the corophiids form a group of 25 genera and about 150 species. In Australia corophiids are represented by eight genera and 12 species. They occur in the sea and occasionally in freshwater, but often in brackish water. They are tube builders living on other invertebrates such as sponges and ascidians and hard substrates such as seagrasses, or burrowing in sand and mud bottoms (Crawford 1937) where they can be extremely abundant.

It is likely that work in this group, particularly in estuarine habitats, will reveal more species that are currently known.

Diagnosis

Head as long as deep or longer than deep; anteroventral margin moderately or strongly recessed and deeply excavate; rostrum short or moderate; eyes round or ovoid. Body laterally compressed, subcylindrical or cylindrical; smooth. Antenna 1 subequal to antenna 2; peduncle with sparse or many robust or slender setae; 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 absent; primary flagellum 5- or more articulate; callynophore absent. Antenna 2 medium length; peduncle with robust or slender setae; article 4 with large posterodistal hook-like process; flagellum shorter than peduncle; less than or more than 5-articulate. Mandible incisor dentate; lacinia mobilis present on both sides; molar fully triturating. Maxilla 1 inner plate weakly setose apically or without setae. Maxilliped inner plates well developed; outer plates large or small. 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 not sexually dimorphic; smaller (or weaker) than or subequal to gnathopod 2; subchelate; coxa subequal to, or larger than coxa 2; carpus longer than propodus. Gnathopod 2 not sexually dimorphic; simple or subchelate; coxa subequal to but not hidden by coxa 3; ischium short; merus enlarged, heavily setose, fused against posterior margin of carpus or enlarged, heavily setose, strongly produced away from carpus; carpus short or long, shorter than, subequal to, or longer than propodus; dactylus well developed or absent. Pereopods heteropodous (3–4 directed posteriorly, 5–7 directed anteriorly or 3–6 directed posteriorly, 7 directed anteriorly); 3–4 with glandular basis. 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 shorter than propodus, not produced. Pereopod 5 shorter than pereopod 6; coxa subequal to coxa 4, with posterodorsal lobe or without posterior lobe; basis expanded, slightly expanded or linear, subrectangular or subquadrate, without posteroventral lobe; carpus weakly expanded. Pereopod 6 shorter than or subequal to pereopod 7; basis expanded or slightly expanded. Pereopod 7 longer than pereopod 5; similar or different in structure to pereopod 6; basis expanded or slightly expanded, subrectangular, subovate or subquadrate, with or without dense long slender setae. Epimeron 2 setose or without setae. Urosome dorsoventrally flattened or not; urosomites 1–3 free or 1 and 2 coalesced, 3 free or 1–3 coalesced; urosomite 1 longer than urosomite 2. Uropods 1–2 apices of rami with robust setae. Uropod 1 peduncle with or without ventromedial spur. Uropod 3 biramous or uniramous; peduncle short; rami lanceolate or vestigial; outer ramus shorter than, subequal to, or longer than peduncle; inner ramus apically setose. Telson thickened dorsoventrally; entire; longer than broad, as long as broad or broader than long; dorsal robust setae present or absent; apical robust setae absent.

General References

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

Crawford, G.I. 1937. A review of the amphipod genus Corophium, with notes on the British species. Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom 21(2): 589-630

Just, J. 1988. Siphonoecetinae (Corophiidae) 6: a survey of phylogeny, distribution, and biology. Crustaceana Suppl. 13: 193-208

Leach, W.E. 1814. Crustaceology. pp. 383-437 in Brewster, D. Sir (ed.). The Edinburgh Encyclopaedia. Edinburgh : John Murray Baldwin & Cradocle Vol. 7 (2).

Lowry, J.K. & Berents, P.B. 1996. The Ericthonius group, a new perspective on an old problem (Crustacea: Amphipoda: Corophoidea). Records of the Australian Museum 48: 75-109

Myers, A.A. 1981. Amphipod Crustacea I. Family Aoridae. Memoirs of the Hourglass Cruises 5(5): 1-73

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

Storey, M. 1996. Native and introduced species of the genus Corophium (Crustacea: Amphipoda) in southeastern Australia. Unpublished Honours Thesis, University of Melbourne.

History of changes