Family PARAMELITIDAE Bousfield, 1977

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Introduction

The Paramelitidae are a Southern Hemisphere group of freshwater crangonyctoid amphipods originally established by Bousfield (1977). At that time the family comprised Paramelita from South Africa, Falklandella from southern South America, and from Australia, Uroctena and Hurleya plus the archetypal Northern Hemisphere genus Gammarus which included the majority of the Australian species. Since then Karaman & Barnard (1979) and Barnard & Karaman (1983) have described Giniphargus, Austrocrangonyx and Austrogammarus. Williams & Barnard (1988) revised the paramelitid family concept. They transfered Protocrangonyx to the group and described Antipodeus so that no Australian species remain in the genus Gammarus. In addition, they completely redescribed the known Australian crangonyctoid fauna and gave several keys which included a key to the Australian crangonyctoid families and genera. More recently Barnard & Williams (1995) described Chillagoe and Toulrabia. Bradbury & Williams (1995, 1997) described Totgammarus and Pilbarus and Bradbury (2000) described Chydaekata and Molina. The generic level diversity of this group is an indication of the age (probably Pangean) of the Australian subterranean fauna which is increasingly under threat from mining operations.

Although paramelitids are diverse and common in freshwater streams of southern Australia and particularly Tasmania, nothing has been published on their biology, ecology or life histories. A dichotomous key to these species can be found in Bradbury & Williams (1999).

 

Diagnosis

Head as long as deep, longer than deep or deeper than long; anteroventral margin weakly or moderately recessed and deeply excavate; anteroventral corner rounded or subquadrate; rostrum short or absent; eyes well developed (round, ovoid or reniform), obsolescent or absent. Body laterally compressed; smooth; with sparse slender setae, with sparse slender or robust dorsal setae on urosome or without setae. Antenna 1 subequal to, or longer than antenna 2; peduncular article 1 subequal to, or longer than article 2; article 2 longer than article 3; article 3 shorter than article 1; primary flagellum 5- or more articulate; callynophore absent. Antenna 2 short or medium length; flagellum shorter than or as long as peduncle; 5- or more articulate; calceoli present or absent. Mandible incisor dentate; lacinia mobilis present on both sides; molar fully triturating. Maxilla 1 inner plate strongly setose along medial margin or weakly setose apically. Maxilliped inner plates well developed; outer plates small; article 3 without rugosities. Pereonites sternal gills present or absent. Coxae 1–4 longer than broad, as long as broad or broader than long, overlapping. Gnathopod 1 sexually dimorphic or not; smaller (or weaker) than or subequal to gnathopod 2; subchelate; coxa smaller than or subequal to coxa 2; carpus shorter than, subequal to, or longer than propodus, slightly or not produced along posterior margin of propodus. Gnathopod 2 sexually dimorphic or not; subchelate; coxa smaller than or subequal to but not hidden by coxa 3; ischium short; carpus short or long, shorter than, subequal to, or longer than propodus, slightly or not produced along posterior margin of propodus. Pereopods heteropodous (3–4 directed posteriorly, 5–7 directed anteriorly) or homopodous (3–7 directed posteriorly); some, all or none prehensile; 3–4 not glandular. Pereopod 3 coxa longer than broad or broader than long; carpus shorter than or subequal to propodus, not produced. Pereopod 4 coxa smaller than, subequal to, or larger than coxa 3, with well-developed, small or no posteroventral lobe; carpus shorter than or subequal to propodus, not produced. Pereopod 5 shorter than pereopod 6; coxa smaller than coxa 4, with posterodorsal lobe or without posterior lobe; basis expanded or slightly expanded, subrectangular, with or without posteroventral lobe; carpus linear; dactylus with setae along margin or with a few subterminal setae. Pereopod 6 shorter than, subequal to, or longer than pereopod 7; basis expanded or slightly expanded; dactylus with setae along margin or with a few subterminal setae. Pereopod 7 subequal to, or longer than pereopod 5; basis expanded or slightly expanded, subrectangular or subovate. Pleonites 1–3 with slender or robust dorsal setae. Epimeron 2 setose or without setae. Urosomite 1 longer than urosomite 2. Uropods 1–2 apices of rami with robust setae. Uropod 1 peduncle with or without basofacial robust setae. Uropod 3 biramous or uniramous; peduncle short; rami styliform; outer ramus shorter or longer than peduncle; inner ramus apically setose. Telson laminar; deeply or moderately cleft or entire; as long as broad or broader than long; dorsal robust setae present or absent; apical robust setae present.

 

ID Keys

See Finston et al. (2011: 177).

 

General References

Barnard, J.L. & Karaman, G.S. 1983. Australia as a major evolutionary centre for Amphipoda (Crustacea). pp. 45-61 in Lowry, J.K. (ed.). Papers from the Conference on the Biology and Evolution of Crustacea. Memoirs of the Australian Museum 18: 1-218

Barnard, J.L. & Williams, W.D. 1995. The taxonomy of Amphipoda (Crustacea) from Australian fresh waters, Part 2. Records of the Australian Museum 47: 161-201

Bayly, I.A.E. & Williams, W.D. 1966. Chemical and biological studies on some saline lakes of south-east Australia. Australian Journal of Marine and Freshwater Research 17: 177-228

Bousfield, E.L. 1977. A new look at the systematics of gammaroidean Amphipoda of the world. Crustaceana Suppl. 4: 282-316

Bradbury, J.H. 2000. Western Australian stygobiont amphipods (Crustacea: Paramelitidae) from the Mt Newman and Millstream regions. Records of the Western Australian Museum 60: 1-102

Bradbury, J.H. & Williams, W.D. 1995. A new genus and species of crangonyctoid amphipod (Crustacea) from Western Australian fresh waters. Transactions of the Royal Society of South Australia 119(2): 67-74

Bradbury, J.H. & Williams, W.D. 1997. The amphipod (Crustacea) stygofauna of Australia: description of new taxa (Melitidae, Neoniphargidae, Paramelitidae) and a synopsis of known species. Records of the Australian Museum 49: 249-341

Bradbury, J.H. & Williams, W.D. 1999. Key to and checklist of the inland aquatic amphipods of Australia. Technical Reports of the Australian Museum 14: 1-21

Finston, T.L., Johnson, M.S., Eberhard, S.M., Cocking, J.S., McRae, J.M., Halse, S.A. & Knott, B. 2011. A new genus and two new species of groundwater paramelitid amphipods from the Pilbara, Western Australia: a combined molecular and morphological approach. Records of the Western Australian Museum 26: 154-178

Karaman, G.S. & Barnard, J.L. 1979. Classificatory revisions in gammaridean Amphipoda (Crustacea), part 1. Proceedings of the Biological Society of Washington 92(1): 106-165

Williams, W.D. 1986. Amphipoda on land-masses derived from Gondwana. pp. 553-559 in Botosaneanu, L. & Stock, J.H. (eds). Stygofauna Mundi. A Faunistic, Distributional, and Ecological Synthesis of the World Fauna Inhabiting Subterranean Waters (including the Marine Intersitial). Leiden : E.J. Brill & Dr. W. Backhuys.

Williams, W.D. & Barnard, J.L. 1988. The taxonomy of crangonyctoid Amphipoda (Crustacea) from Australian fresh waters: foundation studies. Records of the Australian Museum, Supplement 10: 1-180

 

History of changes

Published	As part of group	Action Date	Action Type	Compiler(s)
05-Aug-2022	AMPHIPODA	06-Feb-2013	MOVED	Dr Jim Lowry (AM)
05-Aug-2022		30-Nov-2012	MODIFIED
05-Aug-2022		22-Nov-2012	MODIFIED
05-Aug-2022		17-Mar-2011	MODIFIED
		12-Feb-2010	(import)