Family MELPHIDIPPIDAE Stebbing, 1899

Jerbania stocki

© Copyright from Thomas & Barnard 1990: fig. 1.

Museums

Regional Maps

Introduction

This group is not considered in Barnard & Karaman (1991). Within Australia there is a group of four genera which have been loosely associated with the Melphidippidae. Bousfield (1979) listed a Hornellia–Cheirocratus family group which included these genera. Barnard & Barnard (1983) considered a cheirocratid group which also included these genera. Bousfield & Shih (1994) introduced the name Cheirocratidae (nomen nudum) invalidly without diagnosis or generic composition. This unfortunate circumstance cannot be rectified here and these taxa are remaindered to the Melphidippidae.

Diagnosis

Head as long as deep; rostrum short; eyes round, ovoid or reniform. Body laterally compressed or subcylindrical; smooth or processiferous and dorsally carinate. Antenna 1 subequal to, or longer than antenna 2; peduncular article 1 shorter than or subequal to article 2; article 2 longer than article 3; article 3 shorter than, subequal to, or longer than article 1; primary flagellum 5- or more articulate; callynophore absent. Antenna 2 long; flagellum shorter than peduncle; 5- or more articulate. Mandible incisor dentate; molar fully triturating. Maxilla 1 inner plate strongly setose along medial margin. Maxilliped inner plates well developed; outer plates small. Coxae 1–4 broader than long, overlapping. Gnathopod 1 sexually dimorphic; smaller (or weaker) than or subequal to gnathopod 2; simple or subchelate; coxa subequal to coxa 2; carpus longer than propodus. Gnathopod 2 sexually dimorphic; simple or subchelate; coxa subequal to but not hidden by coxa 3; ischium short or long; carpus long, subequal to propodus. Pereopod 3 coxa broader than long; carpus longer than propodus, not produced. Pereopod 4 coxa subequal to coxa 3, without posteroventral lobe; carpus subequal to propodus, not produced. Pereopod 5 subequal to pereopod 6; coxa subequal to coxa 4, without posterior lobe; basis linear, subrectangular, with posteroventral lobe; carpus linear. Pereopod 6 shorter than or subequal to pereopod 7; basis linear. Pereopod 7 subequal to, or longer than pereopod 5; basis linear. Pleonites 1–3 with transverse dorsal serrations. Urosomite 1 carinate or urosomites not carinate. Uropods 1–3 radically dissimilar in structure and size. Uropods 1–2 apices of rami with robust setae. Uropod 3 biramous; peduncle long; rami lanceolate; outer ramus shorter than or subequal to peduncle; inner ramus not apically setose. Telson laminar; moderately cleft, emarginate or entire; longer than broad; dorsal robust setae present or absent; apical robust setae absent.

General References

Barnard, J.L. & Barnard, C.M. 1983. Freshwater Amphipoda of the World. I. Evolutionary Patterns. II. Handbook and Bibliography. Virginia : Hayfield Associates 830 pp.

Barnard, J.L. & Drummond, M.M. 1982. Discovery of Cheirocratus (Crustacea: Amphipoda) on Australian shores. Proceedings of the Royal Society of Victoria 94(3): 107-120

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

Bousfield, E.L. 1979. A revised classification and phylogeny of amphipod crustaceans. Transactions of the Royal Society of Canada 16: 343-390

Bousfield, E.L. & Shih, C.T. 1994. The phyletic classification of amphipod crustaceans: Problems in resolution. Amphipacifica 1(3): 76-134

Stebbing, T.R.R. 1899. Revision of Amphipoda (continued). Annals and Magazine of Natural History 7 4: 205-211

Thomas, J.D. & Barnard, J.L. 1990. Jerbarnia stocki, a new species from the Barrier Reef (Crustacea, Amphipoda). Beaufortia 41(24): 169-176

History of changes