Family HYSSURIDAE Wägele, 1981

Kupellonura gidgee

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Family HYSSURIDAE Wägele, 1981

Introduction

The Hyssuridae are a cosmopolitan family of 36 species in six genera from coastal to deep-sea environments. Wägele (1981a, 1981b) introduced the family and it was revised and restricted by Poore & Lew Ton (1988). Hyssurids are recognised by their extreme elongate body form and the similarity of all the pleopods (absence of operculiform pleopods 1). All are very small (less than 7 mm) and colourless.

Eight species are known from Australia. Poore (2001) provided the most recent key to genera and list of species.
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Diagnosis

Body slender (pereonite 7 longer than wide, little or not shorter than pereonite 6). Pleonites 1–5 together three times as long as wide, free and articulating; without marginal plumose setae on pleonal epimera or posterior borders of pleonites 4 and 5. Antenna 2 flagellum of fewer than 10 articles, shorter than peduncle. Mouthparts not produced anteriorly. Mandible compact and with weakly-toothed transverse incisor. Maxillipedal endite reaching palp article 3, or absent or obsolete; palp broad (c. twice as long as wide), with 5 free articles or with all articles fused. Pereopods 2 and 3 carpus strongly produced posterodistally; propodus with more than 1 robust setae in addition to posterodistal robust seta, or without posterodistal robust seta. Pereopods 4–7 propodus with more than 1 robust setae in addition to posterodistal robust seta, or with posterodistal robust seta only. Pereopod 7 propodus without anterodistal serrate setae. Pleopods: 1–5 similar, none operculiform. Statocysts absent.