Family MICHELEIDAE Sakai, 1992

Museums

Regional Maps

• Micheleinae Sakai, K. 1992. The families Callianideidae and Thalassinidae, with the description of two new subfamilies, one new genus and two new species. Naturalists 4: 1-33 [18] [original spelling].
• Meticonaxiinae Sakai, K. 1992. The families Callianideidae and Thalassinidae, with the description of two new subfamilies, one new genus and two new species. Naturalists 4: 1-33 [19].
• Micheleidae Sakai, 1992.

Taxonomic Decision for Synonymy

• Poore, G.C.B. 1997. A review of the thalassinidean families Callianideidae Kossmann, Micheleidae Sakai, and Thomassiniidae de Saint Laurent (Crustacea, Decapoda) with descriptions of fifteen new species. Zoosystematica Rossica 19(2–3): 345-420 [354]

Introduction

This small family of axiidean benthic shrimps is found in all tropical oceans and extends south to South Africa and southern Australia.

Micheleidae are essentially a family of four genera (Poore 1997, 2020; Poore & Collins 2015). Many species are associated with coral environments where they are probably weak burrowers. The combination of “setal-rows” and indistinct cervical groove are diagnostic. Setal rows are tight regular rows of short plumose setae, each seta sited in a pit-like structure, just behind the anterior margin of the carapace, on propodi of pereopods 2 and 3 and variously over the pleon (Kensley & Heard 1991). Setal rows are also seen in Strahlaxiidae, Callianideidae and some Ctenochelidae. Unlike these families, micheleids have equal chelipeds with cylindrical propodi and fine fingers.

It is represented in Australia by three genera.

Diagnosis

Rostrum flat, triangular, shorter than eyestalks, or flat, thick, apically rounded, exceeding eyestalks. Carapace cervical groove indistinct; posterior margin of carapace with lateral lobes interacting with anterolateral lobes on pleonite 1. Eyestalks cylindrical, with terminal subspherical cornea. Scaphocerite simple, triangular. Maxilla scaphognathite with long seta on posterior lobe extending into branchial chamber.

Diagnosis References

Poore, G.C.B.,& Ahyong, S.T. 2023. Marine decapod Crustacea. A guide to families and genera of the World. Melbourne : CSIRO Publishing pp. 928.

General References

Kensley, B. & Heard, R.W. 1991. An examination of the shrimp family Callianideidae (Crustacea: Decapoda: Thalassinidea). Proceedings of the Biological Society of Washington 104(3): 493-537

Poore, G.C.B. 1994. A phylogeny of the families of Thalassinidea (Crustacea: Decapoda) with keys to families and genera. Memoirs of Museum Victoria 54: 79-120

Poore, G.C.B. 1997. A review of the thalassinidean families Callianideidae Kossmann, Micheleidae Sakai, and Thomassiniidae de Saint Laurent (Crustacea, Decapoda) with descriptions of fifteen new species. Zoosystematica Rossica 19(2–3): 345-420

Poore, G.C.B. 2020. Axiid and micheleid lobsters from Indo-West Pacific deep-sea environments (Crustacea: Decapoda: Axiidea: Axiidae, Micheleidae). In: Corbari, L., Chan, T.-Y. and Ahyong, S.T. (eds) Deep-sea crustaceans from Papua New Guinea. Tropical Deep-Sea Benthos vol. 31. Mémoires du Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle, Paris [1936-1950] 213: 259-367

Poore, G.C.B. & Collins, D.J. 2015. Micheleidae (Crustacea: Decapoda: Axiidea): new family and generic synonymies, three new Australian species, and new records. Memoirs of Museum Victoria 73: 95-105

History of changes