Family OXYCEPHALIDAE Spence Bate, 1862

Oxycephalus latirostris

© Copyright from Zeidler 1992: fig. 22.

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Introduction

Oxycephalids are among the most striking members of the Hyperiidea. They have long, slender bodies and attenuated heads; species of Rhabdosoma can be almost needle-like. All genera and 15 of the 16 known species have been reported from Australian waters. Tranter (1977) and Répelin (1978) both found them to be diverse in the mesopelagic planktonic communities of the eastern Indian and western Pacific Oceans. Circumstantial evidence indicates that some members of Rhabdosoma are parthenogenetic (Fage 1960; Laval 1980). According to Laval (1980) oxycephalids are almost exclusively associated with ctenophores. A key to world genera can be found in Bowman & Gruner (1973) and a key to all genera and species in Vinogradov et al. (1982; in Russian).

Diagnosis

Head as long as or longer than deep; anteroventral margin oblique; rostrum present or absent; eyes occupying most of lateral surface of head. Body laterally compressed, subcylindrical, cylindrical or vermiform. Antenna 1 shorter than antenna 2; peduncle 1- or 2-articulate; peduncular article 1 longer than article 2; calceoli absent. Mouthparts reduced. Mandible molar absent; palp present or absent. Maxilla 1 reduced. Maxilla 2 absent. Coxae 1–7 fused with pereonites or not. Gnathopod 1 simple, carpochelate, subchelate or parachelate; carpus shorter than or subequal to propodus; dactylus large or minute. Gnathopod 2 dactylus well developed or minute. Pereopod 3 carpus shorter than, subequal to, or longer than propodus. Pereopod 5 subequal to, or longer than pereopod 6; basis without posteroventral lobe; carpus linear. Pereopod 6 longer than pereopod 7; basis expanded or linear. Pereopod 7 basis expanded. Urosomite 3 fused with telson or not. Uropod 2 inner ramus subequal to, or longer than outer ramus. Uropod 3 not sexually dimorphic; biramous or uniramous.

General References

Bowman, T.E. & Gruner, H.E. 1973. The families and genera of Hyperiidea (Crustacea: Amphipoda). Smithsonian Contributions to Zoology 146: 1-64

Dana, J.D. 1852. On the classification of the Crustacea Choristopoda or Tetradecapoda. American Journal of Science and Arts 2 14(41): 297-316

Fage, L. 1960. Oxycephalidae. Amphipode pelagiques. Dana Reports 52: 1-145

Laval, P. 1980. Hyperiid amphipods as crustacean parasitoids associated with gelatinous zooplankton. Oceanography and Marine Biology Annual Reviews 18: 11-56

Répelin, R. 1978. Les amphipodes pélagiques du Pacifique occidental et central. Travaux et Documents de l'ORSTOM, Paris 86: 1-381

Tranter, H.A. 1977. Further studies of plankton ecosystems in the Eastern Indian Ocean. VII. Ecology of the Amphipoda. Australian Journal of Marine and Freshwater Research 28: 645-662

Vinogradov, M.E., Volkov, A.F. & Semenova, T.N. 1982. Amphipoda — Hyperiidea of the World Ocean. Nauka Leningrad U.S.S.R. Opred. po Faune S.S.S.R 132: 1-491 [in Russian]

Zeidler, W. 1992. Hyperiid amphipods (Crustacea: Amphipoda: Hyperiidea) collected recently from eastern Australian waters. Records of the Australian Museum 44(1): 85-133

Zeidler, W. 1998. Pelagic amphipods (Crustacea: Amphipoda: Hyperiidea) collected from eastern and south-eastern Australian waters by the CSIRO vessel "Warreen" during the years 1938–1941. Records of the South Australian Museum (Adelaide) Monograph Series 4: 1-143

Zeidler, W. 1999. Review of the hyperiidean amphipod genus Oxycephalus Milne-Edwards (Crustacea: Amphipoda: Hyperiidea: Oxycephalidae). Invertebrate Taxonomy 13: 391-424

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