Family NANNOSQUILLIDAE Manning, 1980

Museums

Regional Maps

• Nannosquillidae Manning, R.B. 1980. The superfamilies, families, and genera of recent stomatopod Crustacea, with diagnoses of six new families. Proceedings of the Biological Society of Washington 93(2): 362-372 [368].

  Type genus:

   Nannosquilla Manning, 1963.

Introduction

This family includes 14 genera, of which nine are represented in the Indo-west Pacific, and seven, Acanthosquilla, Alachosquilla, Austrosquilla, Bigelowina, Hadrosquilla, Pullosquilla and Victoriasquilla, have been recorded from Australian waters. All are 'spearers'. Like lysiosquillids, nannosquillids occupy burrows in soft substrates and may be abundant on intertidal sand and mudflats. Ahyong (2001) provided keys for identification.

Diagnosis

Cornea subglobular; typically with six rows of hexagonal ommatidia in the mid-band. Third and fourth maxillipeds with propodi ribbed or beaded ventrally. Abdominal segments loosely articulated. Raptorial claw with ischiomeral articulation terminal, dactylus uninflated basally; ischium usually exceeding half merus length. Pereiopods 1–2 with subcircular endopods; pereiopod 3 with ovate endopod. Telson lacking distinct median carina; primary teeth and denticles distinct. Uropodal protopod with at most two primary spines; dorsal margin of uropodal endopod with strong dorsal proximal fold; exopod segments articulate terminally.

General References

Ahyong, S.T. 2001. Revision of the Australian Stomatopod Crustacea. Records of the Australian Museum Suppl. 26: 1-326

History of changes