Family LUCIFERIDAE De Haan, 1849

Museums

Regional Maps

• Luciferidae De Haan, W. 1849. Crustacea. 1-243 pls A-J, L-Q, 1-55, circ. tab. 2 in Von Siebold, P.F. (ed.). Fauna Japonica sive Descriptio Animalium, quae in Itinere per Japoniam, Jussu et Auspiciis Superiorum, qui Summum in India Batava Imperium Tenent, Suscepto, Annis 1823–1830 Collegit, Notis, Observationibus et Adumbrationibus Illustravit. Leiden : Lugundi-Batavorum. [242] [placed on the Official List of Family-Group Names in Zoology, see International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature (1969), but authorship attributed incorrectly to Dana (1850)].

  Type genus:

   Lucifer Thompson, 1829.

  Secondary source:

   International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature 1969. Opinion 864. Penaeid generic names (Crustacea, Decapoda): addition of twenty-eight to the Official List. Bulletin of Zoological Nomenclature 25: 138-147.

Introduction

This small family comprises a single genus, Lucifer, and only seven species worldwide. Lucifer species are instantly recognisable by the elongate, tube-like frontal extension of the carapace, and the complete absence of gills. The phylogenetic position of the family has been a matter of some debate, but I here follow Pérez Farfante & Kensley (1997) in treating it as a close relative of the Sergestidae in the superfamily Sergestoidea Dana.

Diagnosis

Carapace extremely laterally compressed, anteriorly elongate, with mandibles widely separated from antennae and eyes; rostrum short, acute. Antennules lacking ventral flagellum in both sexes. Mandible lacking palp. Maxillae lacking palp; with exopod in form of small plate. First maxilliped lacking epipod and exopod. Second maxilliped lacking epipod. Chelae lacking or imperfect, chela having no fixed finger present only on third pereiopod. Fourth and fifth pereiopods absent. Branchiae absent. Genital aperture single in both sexes. Petasma sessile, attached proximally to first pleopodal peduncle. Second pleopod in male with unilamellate appendix masculina. Sixth abdominal somite in male bearing two ventral processes; telson in male with strong protuberance on ventral surface. (After Pérez Farfante & Kensley 1997).

General References

Pérez Farfante, I. & Kensley, B. 1997. Penaeoid and sergestoid shrimps and prawns of the world. Keys and diagnoses for the families and genera. Mémoires du Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle, Paris [1936-1950] 175: 1-233

History of changes