Family HYPERIIDAE Dana, 1852

Hyperietta luzoni

© Copyright from Zeidler 1998: fig. 30.

Museums

Regional Maps

Introduction

The Hyperiidae are a large cosmopolitan family of 13 genera living mainly at epipelagic and mesopelagic depths. It is the most diverse family in Australian waters. Bowman (1973) partially revised the family and provided a key to all genera (also in Bowman & Gruner 1973) and keys to the species of some genera. Hyperiids have been recorded from the waters of Queensland (Zeidler 1978), New South Wales (Zeidler 1992), and Bass Strait and Tasmania (Zeidler 1998).

Laval (1980) reviewed the associations of hyperiids with zooplankton. They occur with a variety of hosts such as ctenophores, medusae, radiolarians, siphonophores and tunicates. Thurston (1977) gives an extensive review of the literature on Hyperia and its association with zooplankton, mainly medusae. Studies by Laval (1980) have shown that Lestrigonus shares the food of its leptomedusan host, but will feed on the gonads of the host if food is not available.

Diagnosis

Head deeper or much deeper than long; anteroventral margin rounded or oblique; rostrum present or absent; eyes occupying most of lateral surface of head or not. Body laterally compressed or subglobular. Antenna 1 shorter than, subequal to, or longer than antenna 2; peduncle 3-articulate or 1- or 2-articulate; peduncular article 1 longer than article 2; article 2 longer than article 3; calceoli absent. Mandible molar present; palp present or absent. Maxilla 1 inner plate absent; palp 1-articulate. Pereonites pleurae present. Coxae 1–7 well developed, vestigial or absent; coxae 1–7 or coxae 1–2 fused with pereonites or none fused with pereonites. Gnathopod 1 simple or carpochelate; carpus shorter or longer than propodus; dactylus large or minute. Gnathopod 2 dactylus well developed or minute. Pereopods some, all or none prehensile. Pereopod 3 carpus shorter than propodus. Pereopod 5 subequal to or longer than pereopod 6; basis without posteroventral lobe; carpus linear. Pereopod 6 subequal to, or longer than pereopod 7; basis slightly expanded or linear. Pereopod 7 basis slightly expanded or linear. Uropod 2 inner ramus subequal to, or longer than outer ramus. Uropod 3 not sexually dimorphic; biramous.

General References

Bowman, T.E. 1973. Pelagic amphipods of the genus Hyperia and closely related genera (Hyperiidea: Hyperiidae). Smithsonian Contributions to Zoology 136: 1-76

Bowman, T.E. & Gruner, H.E. 1973. The families and genera of Hyperiidea (Crustacea: Amphipoda). Smithsonian Contributions to Zoology 146: 1-64

Dana, J.D. 1852. On the classification of the Crustacea Choristopoda or Tetradecapoda. American Journal of Science and Arts 2 14(41): 297-316

Laval, P. 1980. Hyperiid amphipods as crustacean parasitoids associated with gelatinous zooplankton. Oceanography and Marine Biology Annual Reviews 18: 11-56

Thurston, M.H. 1977. Depth distributions of Hyperia spinigera Bovallius, 1889 (Crustacea: Amphipoda) and medusae in the North Atlantic Ocean, with notes on the associations between Hyperia and coelenterates. pp. 499-536 in Angel, M.H. (ed.). A Voyage of Discovery: George Deacon 70th Anniversary Volume. Oxford : Pergammon Press.

Zeidler, W. 1978. Hyperiidea (Crustacea: Amphipoda) from Queensland waters. Australian Journal of Zoology Supplementary Series 59: 1-93

Zeidler, W. 1992. Hyperiid amphipods (Crustacea: Amphipoda: Hyperiidea) collected recently from eastern Australian waters. Records of the Australian Museum 44(1): 85-133

Zeidler, W. 1998. Pelagic amphipods (Crustacea: Amphipoda: Hyperiidea) collected from eastern and south-eastern Australian waters by the CSIRO vessel "Warreen" during the years 1938–1941. Records of the South Australian Museum (Adelaide) Monograph Series 4: 1-143

History of changes