Family IPHIMEDIIDAE Boeck, 1871

Iphimedia crenulata, a non-Australian species.

© Copyright from Barnard & Karaman 1991: fig. 75.

Museums

Regional Maps

Introduction

Historically iphimediid amphipods have been considered as bipolar (J.L. Barnard, 1969b: 16; Barnard & Karaman, 1991: 25) with only minor temperate and tropical elements. In the last 30 years this situation has changed and currently as many temperate/tropical species as polar species are known. There are now 12 species in the Australian iphimediid fauna, one more than is known from the Australian Antarctic Territories. Coleman (1989a, 1989b, 1991a, 1991b) has studied the biology of some Antarctic species. A key to iphimediid genera can be found in Barnard and Karaman (1991).

Diagnosis

Head as long as deep or deeper than long; rostrum long; eyes round, ovoid or reniform. Body laterally compressed or subglobular; smooth or processiferous and dorsally carinate; with robust setae or without setae. Antenna 1 shorter than or subequal to antenna 2; peduncular article 1 subequal to, or longer than article 2; article 2 longer than article 3; article 3 shorter than article 1; accessory flagellum present or absent; primary flagellum 5- or more articulate; callynophore present or absent. Antenna 2 medium length; flagellum longer than peduncle; 5- or more articulate. Mandible incisor dentate or smooth; lacinia mobilis present on both sides; molar small or absent, non-triturating cone. Maxilla 1 inner plate strongly setose along medial margin; palp large or reduced, 1- or 2-articulate. Maxilliped inner plates well developed; outer plates small. Coxae 1–4 longer than broad, overlapping, ventrally acuminate. Gnathopod 1 not sexually dimorphic; smaller (or weaker) than or subequal to gnathopod 2; simple or chelate; coxa smaller than or subequal to coxa 2; carpus shorter than, subequal to, or longer than propodus; dactylus large or minute. Gnathopod 2 not sexually dimorphic; simple, subchelate or chelate; coxa smaller or subequal to but not hidden by coxa 3; ischium short or long; carpus short or long, subequal to, or longer than propodus; dactylus well developed or minute. Pereopod 3 coxa longer than broad; carpus shorter than propodus, not produced. Pereopod 4 coxa larger than coxa 3, acuminate ventrally, with well-developed posteroventral lobe; carpus shorter than propodus, not produced. Pereopod 5 shorter than or subequal to pereopod 6; coxa smaller than coxa 4, with ventrally produced posterior lobe or without posterior lobe; basis expanded or slightly expanded, subrectangular, without posteroventral lobe; carpus linear. Pereopod 6 shorter than or subequal to pereopod 7; basis expanded or slightly expanded. Pereopod 7 subequal to, or longer than pereopod 5; basis expanded. Urosomites 1–3 free; urosomite 1 longer or much longer than urosomite 2. Uropods 1–2 apices of rami with or without robust setae. Uropod 3 biramous; peduncle short; rami lanceolate; outer ramus longer than peduncle; inner ramus not apically setose. Telson laminar; moderately or weakly cleft, emarginate or entire; longer than broad or as long as broad; dorsal and apical robust setae absent.

General References

Barnard, J.L. 1969. Gammaridean Amphipoda of the Rocky Intertidal of California: Monterey Bay to La Jolla. Smithsonian Institution, United States National Museum Bulletin 258. 1-230

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

Boeck, A. 1871. Crustacea Amphipoda Borealia et Arctica. Bulletin of the Mauritius Institute 1870: 81-280 i-viii

Coleman, C.O. 1989a. Gnathiphimedia mandibularis K.H. Barnard 1930, an Antarctic amphipod (Acanthonotozomatidae, Crustacea) feeding on Bryozoa. Antarctic Science 1: 343-344

Coleman, C.O. 1989b. On the nutrition of two Antarctic Acanthonotozomatidae (Crustacea: Amphipoda). Gut contents and functional morphology of mouthparts. Polar Biology 9: 287-294

Coleman, C.O. 1991a. Comparative fore-gut morphology of Antarctic Amphipoda (Crustacea) adapted to different food sources. Hydrobiologia 223: 1-9

Coleman, C.O. 1991b. Redescription of Anchiphimedia dorsalis (Crustacea, Amphipoda, Iphimediidae) from the Antarctic, and functional morphology of mouthparts. Zoologica Scripta 20: 367-374

Coleman, C.O. & Barnard, J.L. 1991. Revision of Iphimediidae and similar families (Amphipoda: Gammaridea). Proceedings of the Biological Society of Washington 104(2): 253-268

Watling, L. & Holman, H. 1980. New Amphipoda from the Southern Ocean (with partial revisions of the Acanthonotozomatidae and Paramphithoidae). Proceedings of the Biological Society of Washington 93(3): 609-654

Watling, L. & Thurston, M. 1989. Antarctica as an evolutionary incubator: evidence from the cladistic biogeography of the amphipod family Iphimediidae. pp. 297-313 in Crame, J.A. Origins and Evolution of the Antarctic Biota. Geological Society of London, Special Publication 47: 1-322

History of changes