Family PHREATOICIDAE Chilton, 1891

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Introduction

Phreatoicids live in freshwater streams and lakes throughout the south-eastern Australian mainland, Tasmania and New Zealand. Nicholls (1944) divided the Phreatoicidae into three subfamilies, Phreatoicinae, Mesacanthotelsoninae and Paraphreatoicinae. The New Zealand Phreatoicinae are distinct from the Australian forms (Wilson & Fenwick 1999; Wilson & Johnson 1999; Wilson & Keable 2001), so this subfamily is herein excluded from Australian taxa. We assign all Phreatoicidae from Australia to the family-group name Mesacanthotelsoninae Nicholls, 1944 owing to its page priority over Paraphreatoicinae Nicholls, 1944. The subfamily category is retained in this instance owing to well established synapomorphies of the Australian and New Zealand phreatoicids and less support for non-phreatoicine clades (Wilson & Keable 2001; unpublished data). The type genera of the two subfamilies, Mesacanthotelson and Paraphreatoicus, might be closely related.

Diagnosis

Head with well-developed cervical groove. Pleonites much deeper than pereonites in lateral view, with large pleurae, basal region of pleopods not visible; pleonite 1 pleura distinctly shallower than pleurae of pleonites 2–5. Right mandible without distinct lacinia mobilis. Mandibular spine rows on linear pedunculate projection between incisor and molar. Pereopods with articular plate on posterior side of propodus. Pleopodal protopods III–V only with lateral epipods. Uropodal protopod with distoventral robust denticulate seta.

General References

Chilton, C. 1891. On a new and peculiar freshwater isopod from Mt. Kosciusko. Records of the Australian Museum 1: 149-171, pls XXII-XXVI

Nicholls, G.E. 1944. The Phreatoicoidea. Part II. The Phreatoicidae. Papers and Proceedings of the Royal Society of Tasmania 1943: 1-157

Wilson, G.D.F. & Fenwick, G.D. 1999. Taxonomy and ecology of Phreatoicus typicus Chilton, 1883 (Crustacea, Isopoda, Phreatoicidae). Journal of the Royal Society of New Zealand 29(1): 41-64

Wilson, G.D.F. & Johnson, R.T. 1999. Ancient endemism among freshwater isopods (Crustacea, Phreatoicidea). pp. 264-268 in Ponder, W.F. & Lunney, D. (eds). The Other 99%. The Conservation and Biodiversity of Invertebrates. Mosman (NSW) : Royal Zoological Society of New South Wales 454 pp.

Wilson, G.D.F & Keable, S.J. 2001. Systematics of the Phreatoicidea. pp. 175-194 in Brusca, R.C. & Kensley, B. (eds). Isopod Systematics and Evolution. Crustacean Issues 13: 175-194

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