Family OPLOPHORIDAE Dana, 1852

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• Oplophorinae Dana, J.D. 1852. Conspectus Crustaceorum quae in Orbis Terrarum circumnavigatione, Carolo Wilkes e classe Reipublicae Foederatae Duce, lexit et descripsit. Proceedings of the Academy of Natural Sciences, Philadelphia 6: 10-28 [18, 27] [name placed on the Official List of Family-Group Names in Zoology, see International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature 1957. Opinion 470. Additions to the Official List of Family-Group Names in Zoology of the names of one hundred and two genera of Caridea (Class Crustacea, Order Decapoda) and use of the Plenary Powers for various purposes in connection therewith. Opinions and Declarations rendered by the International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature 16: 129–202].

  Secondary source:

   International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature 1957. Opinion 470. Additions to the Official List of Family-Group Names in Zoology of the names of one hundred and two genera of Caridea (Class Crustacea, Order Decapoda) and use of the Plenary Powers for various purposes in connection therewith. Opinions and Declarations rendered by the International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature 16: 129-202.
• Oplophaidae Guiler, E.R. 1952. A list of the Crustacea of Tasmania. Records of the Queen Victoria Museum, Launceston 3(3): 15-44 [35] [name placed on the Official Index of Rejected and Invalid Family-Group Names, see International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature 1957. Opinion 470. Additions to the Official List of Family-Group Names in Zoology of the names of one hundred and two genera of Caridea (Class Crustacea, Order Decapoda) and use of the Plenary Powers for various purposes in connection therewith. Opinions and Declarations rendered by the International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature 16: 129–202].

  Secondary source:

   International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature 1957. Opinion 470. Additions to the Official List of Family-Group Names in Zoology of the names of one hundred and two genera of Caridea (Class Crustacea, Order Decapoda) and use of the Plenary Powers for various purposes in connection therewith. Opinions and Declarations rendered by the International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature 16: 129-202.
• Hoplophoridae Faxon, W. 1895. Stalk-eyed Crustacea of the "Albatross". Memoirs of the Museum of Comparative Zoology, Harvard University 18: 1-292, 56 pls [159] [name placed on the Official Index of Rejected and Invalid Family-Group Names in Zoology, see International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature 1957. Opinion 470. Additions to the Official List of Family-Group Names in Zoology of the names of one hundred and two genera of Caridea (Class Crustacea, Order Decapoda) and use of the Plenary Powers for various purposes in connection therewith. Opinions and Declarations rendered by the International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature 16: 129–202].

  Secondary source:

   International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature 1957. Opinion 470. Additions to the Official List of Family-Group Names in Zoology of the names of one hundred and two genera of Caridea (Class Crustacea, Order Decapoda) and use of the Plenary Powers for various purposes in connection therewith. Opinions and Declarations rendered by the International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature 16: 129-202.

Taxonomic Decision for Synonymy

• Holthuis, L.B. 1993. The Recent Genera of the Caridean and Stenopodidean Shrimps (Crustacea, Decapoda). Alblasserdam : Ridderprint Offsetdrukkerij B.V. 328 pp. [30]

Introduction

The family Oplophoridae has a cosmopolitan distribution. It was previously considered to include about ten genera, of which eight were recorded from Australia (Davie 2002), now reduced to seven. Keys to these genera are provided by Chace (1986: 5) and Holthuis (1993: 30). However, recently DNA studies have indicated that the Oplophoridae is polyphyletic (Chan et al. (2010), and a number of genera have now been split off into a resurrected Acanthephyridae (De Grave & Fransen 2011). Oplophorids are typically mesopelagic with nocturnal migration towards the surface (except for a small group that apparently are benthic as adults), in 315–5300 metres (Chace 1986). All species are probably capable of some form of bioluminescence (Herring 1976: 1041).

Diagnosis

Rostrum immovable, attached to remainder of carapace, otherwise variable; antennular flagella simple, without accessory branches; mandible with palp, molar and incisor processes not deeply separated; third maxilliped elongate, not unusually expanded, 5-segmented, bearing well-developed exopod; well-developed exopod, three anterior pairs, at least, bearing strap-like epipod with endpeice extending perpendicularly into branchial chamber, two anterior pairs with well-developed chela and undivided carpus, three posterior pairs not unusually long, carpus shorter than propodus; pleopods bearing appendices interna. (After Chace 1986).

General References

Chace, F.A., Jr 1986. The Caridean shrimps (Crustacea: Decapoda) of the Albatross Philippine Expedition, 1907–1910. Part 4: Families Oplophoridae and Nematocarcinidae. Smithsonian Contributions to Zoology No. 432: i-iv, 1-82

Chan, T.-Y., Lei, H.C., Li, C.P. & Chu, K.H. 2010. Phylogenetic analysis using rDNa reveals polyphyly of Oplophoridae (Decapoda: Caridea). Invertebrate Systematics 24: 172-181

De Grave, S. & Fransen, C.H.J.M. 2011. Carideorum Catalogus: The recent species of the Dendrobrachiate, Stenopodidean, Procarididean and Caridean shrimps (Crustacea: Decapoda). Zoologische Mededelingen (Leiden) 85(9): 195-589, figs 1-59

Herring, P.J. 1976. Bioluminescence in decapod Crustacea. Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom 56(4): 1029-1047, 4 figs

Holthuis, L.B. 1993. The Recent Genera of the Caridean and Stenopodidean Shrimps (Crustacea, Decapoda). Alblasserdam : Ridderprint Offsetdrukkerij B.V. 328 pp.

History of changes