Family HAPLONISCIDAE Hansen, 1916

Haploniscus tangaroae

© Copyright from Lincoln 1985.

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Introduction

Lincoln (1985a) diagnosed the family and genera and provided keys to the seven genera. He listed the 82 species known and provided keys to the smaller genera. The fauna of the north-east Atlantic was reviewed by Lincoln (1985b). The same author (1985a) also described species from New Zealand (none of which occurs in the known undescribed fauna of south-eastern Australia (Poore et al. 1994).

The family is confined to benthic habitats of the continental slope and the abyss. Only a single species is described from Australia but others are known in museum collections. The family diagnosis is adapted from Lincoln (1985a, 1985b).{41548:a}{41549:b}

Diagnosis

Body compact, oval, dorsoventrally flattened. Head free; eyes absent. Pereonites 1–7 subequal in width (pereonite 7 rarely reduced), all wider than long. Pleotelson comprising a single somite, but may exhibit more or less fusion dorsally with up to three posterior pereonites. Anus outside branchial chamber, separated by continuous robust cuticular bar. Antennae shorter than body; antenna 1 shorter than antenna 2. Mandible with well-developed incisor, lacinia mobilis, spine row, and slender truncated molar process; palp elongate, 3-articled with article 3 reflexed. Maxillipedal palp articles slender, less than half width of endite. Pereopods 1–7 ambulatory, simple, subsimilar; dactylus with single major claw and diminutive accessory tooth. Uropods uniramous, ventro-subterminal.

General References

Hansen, H.J. 1916. Crustacea Malacostraca III: The Order Isopoda. Danish Ingolf-Expedition 3(5): 1-262, pls 1-16

Poore, G.C.B., Just, J. & Cohen, B.F. 1994. Composition and diversity of Crustacea Isopoda of the southeastern Australian continental slope. Deep-Sea Research 41: 677-693

History of changes