Family TALITRIDAE Rafinesque, 1815

Neorchestia plicibrancha

© Copyright from Friend 1987: fig. 14.

Museums

Regional Maps

• Talitridae Rafinesque, C.S. 1815. Analyse de la nature, ou tableau de l'univers et des corps organises. Palermo (Italy) : Privately Published 224 pp. [Date published April to July].

  Type genus:

   Talitrus Bosc, 1802.

Introduction

The talitrids, commonly known as sandfleas, sandhoppers and landhoppers, are closely related to such marine and freshwater families as the Hyalidae and Hyalellidae. Talitrids have been recognised as a distinct family group since Bulycheva (1957). Currently, about 45 genera are recognised. In Australia, landhoppers are well known through the works of Friend (1979, 1982, 1987). By contrast talitrids living in supralittoral areas are poorly known. At least 20 undescribed species occur in Tasmania (Richardson pers. comm.) and a simlar number of undescribed species are known from similar habitats along the New South Wales coast (Peart & Lowry pers. obs.). Lowry & Springthorpe (2015) published on coastal talitrids of northern Australia.

Excluded Taxa

Misidentifications

TALITRIDAE: Orchestia Leach, 1814 [restricted to Europe, records from Australia based on misidentifications] — Myers, A.A. & Lowry, J.K. 2020. A phylogeny and classification of the Talitroidea (Amphipoda, Senticaudata) based on interpretation of morphological synapomorphies and homoplasies. Zootaxa 4778(2): 281–310 [Date published 14 May 2020] [294]

Diagnosis

Head as long as deep, longer than deep or deeper than long; rostrum short or absent; eyes well developed (round), obsolescent or absent. Body laterally compressed; with deep sensory pits or smooth. Antenna 1 shorter than antenna 2; peduncular article 1 shorter than, subequal to, or longer than article 2; article 2 shorter than, subequal to, or longer than article 3; article 3 subequal to, or longer than article 1; accessory flagellum absent; primary flagellum less than or more than 5-articulate; callynophore absent. Antenna 2 short, medium length or long; flagellum shorter or longer than peduncle; 5- or more articulate. Mandible incisor dentate; lacinia mobilis present on both sides; molar fully triturating; palp absent. Maxilla 1 inner plate weakly setose apically; palp 1- or 2-articulate or absent. Maxilliped inner plates well developed; outer plates small or vestigial. Coxae 1–4 longer than broad, as long as broad or broader than long, overlapping, coxa 1 anteroventrally acuminate or not. Gnathopod 1 sexually dimorphic; smaller (or weaker) than or subequal to gnathopod 2; simple or subchelate; coxa smaller than coxa 2; carpus shorter than, subequal to or longer than propodus, slightly or not produced along posterior margin of propodus. Gnathopod 2 sexually dimorphic; subchelate or chelate; coxa smaller than or subequal to but not hidden by coxa 3; ischium short; carpus short, shorter than, subequal to, or longer than propodus, slightly or not produced along posterior margin of propodus. Pereopod 3 coxa broader than long; carpus subequal to propodus, not produced. Pereopod 4 coxa subequal to, or larger than coxa 3, with or without posteroventral lobe; carpus shorter than or subequal to propodus, not produced. Pereopod 5 shorter than pereopod 6; coxa smaller than, subequal to, or larger than coxa 4, with ventrally produced posterior lobe or with posterodorsal lobe; basis expanded, subovate, with or without posteroventral lobe; carpus linear. Pereopod 6 shorter or longer than pereopod 7; basis expanded. Pereopod 7 longer than pereopod 5; basis expanded. Urosomite 1 longer than urosomite 2. Uropods 1–2 apices of rami with robust setae. Uropod 1 peduncle with or without ventromedial spur. Uropod 3 uniramous; peduncle short; ramus shorter than peduncle. Telson weakly thickened or thickened dorsoventrally; moderately or weakly cleft, notched or entire; as long as broad or broader than long; dorsal and apical robust setae present or absent.

General References

Bulycheva, A.I. 1957. [Beach-fleas of the seas of the USSR and adjacent waters (Amphipoda – Talitroidea)]. Akademii Nauk SSSR Zoologicheskogo Instituta Opredeliteli po Faune SSSR 65: 1-185 [in Russian]

Friend, J.A. 1979. Two new terrestrial species of Talitrus (Amphipoda: Talitridae) from Tasmania. Papers and Proceedings of the Royal Society of Tasmania 113: 85-98

Friend, J.A. 1982. New terrestrial amphipods (Amphipoda: Talitridae) from Australian forests. Australian Journal of Zoology 30: 461-491

Friend, J.A. 1987. The terrestrial amphipods (Amphipoda: Talitridae) of Tasmania. Systematics and zoogeography. Records of the Australian Museum, Supplement 7: 1-85

Lowry, J.K. & Myers, A.A. 2022. Platorchestiinae subfam. nov. (Amphipoda, Senticaudata, Talitridae) with the description of three new genera and four new species. Zootaxa 5100(1): 001–053

Lowry, J.K. & Springthorpe, R.T. 2015. Coastal Talitridae (Amphipoda: Talitroidea) from north-western Australia to Darwin with a revision of the genus Cochinorchestia Lowry & Peart, 2010. Zootaxa 3985(2): 151–202

Rafinesque, C.S. 1815. Analyse de la nature, ou tableau de l'univers et des corps organises. Palermo (Italy) : Privately Published 224 pp. [Date published April to July]

History of changes