Family NEPHROPIDAE Dana, 1852

Museums

Regional Maps

• Nephropinae 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 [15].
• Homaridae Huxley, T.H. 1879. On the classification and the distribution of the crayfishes. Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London 1878: 752-788.
• Neophoberinae Glaessner, M.F. 1969. Decapoda. pp. R399-R533, R626-R628 in Moore, R.C. (ed.). Treatise on Invertebrate Paleontology. Part R. Arthropoda 4 Crustacea (except Ostracoda) Myriapoda — Hexapoda. Laurence, Kansas : The University of Kansas and The Geological Society of America, Inc. Vol. 2 pp. R399-R651. [R459].
• Thymopinae Holthuis, L.B. 1974. The lobsters of the superfamily Nephropidea of the Atlantic Ocean (Crustacea: Decapoda). Bulletin of Marine Science, University Miami 24(4): 723-884 [753].
• Phoberinae Mertin, H. 1941. Decapode Krebse aus dem subhercynen und Braunschweiger Emscher und Untersenon sowie Bemerkungen über einige verwandte Formen in der Oberkreide. Nova Acta Leopoldina n. ser. 10(68): 1-215.
• Thaumastochelidae Spence Bate, C. 1888. Report on the Crustacea Macrura collected by H.M.S. Challenger during the years 1873–76. Report on the Scientific Results of the Voyage of H.M.S. Challenger 1873–1876, Zoology 24: 1-942, i-xc figs 1-76 pls 1-150 [7, 11, 46].

Taxonomic Decision for Synonymy

• Holthuis, L.B. 1991. FAO Species Catalogue. Vol. 13. Marine lobsters of the world. An annotated and illustrated catalogue of species of interest to fisheries known to date. FAO Fisheries Synopsis No. 125, 13: i-viii, 1-292 [26]

Introduction

Nephropids are deep water lobsters found in depths from 150–1893 metres. Three genera are represented in Australian waters: Acanthacaris Bate (Neophoberinae), Metanephrops Jenkins (Nephropinae), and Nephropsis Wood-Mason (Thymopinae). The species of Metanephrops are collectively known as 'Scampi' and are of some commercial interest, although generally not taken in the quantities that make the Northern Hemisphere Scampi (Nephrops species) so important to fisheries. Jenkins (1972) was the first to recognise that the Southern Hemisphere 'Nephrops' were generically distinct. Other important references dealing with the Australian fauna include: Bruce (1966), Chan & Yu (1991), Chan (1998) Griffin & Stoddart (1987) and Holthuis (1991).

Diagnosis

Moderate to large lobsters. Body tubular, surface almost naked or covered with thick fur. Carapace with well-developed rostrum, ornamented with spines or nodules, occasionally smooth. Eyes usually well developed and black, or small and lacking pigmentation, or even absent. Antennae very long and thread-like; antennal scale, if present, with inner margin unarmed and curved. Pereiopods 1–3 chelate, first pair forming long, robust claws. Sternal plate between fifth pereiopods fused with that between fourth pair; podobranchiae of first three pereiopods with discrete branchial and epipoditic parts; first pleopod of male without individual sperm conduit. Abdomen and tailfan well developed and robust; abdomen smooth or variously sculptured, pleura ending in acute ventral tooth; tailfan entirely calcified; telson with fixed spines, posterior margin broadly convex. (Modified after Chan 1998).

General References

Bruce, A.J. 1966. Nephrops australiensis sp. nov., a new species of lobster from northern Australia (Decapoda Reptantia). Crustaceana 10: 245-258 pls 25-27

Chan, T.-Y. 1998. Lobsters. pp. 973-1043 in Carpenter, K.E. & Niem, V.H. (eds). The Living Marine Resources of the Western Central Pacific. FAO Species Identification Guide for Fisheries Purposes. Rome : FAO Vol. 2 687-1396 pp.

Chan, T.-Y. & Yu, H.P. 1991. Studies on the Metanephrops japonicus group (Decapoda, Nephropidae), with descriptions of two new species. Crustaceana 60(1): 18-51, text-figs 1-3 pls 1-9

Griffin, D.J.G. & Stoddart, H.E. 1995. Deep-water decapod Crustacea from eastern Australia: lobsters of the families Nephropidae, Palinuridae, Polychelidae and Scyllaridae. Records of the Australian Museum 47(3): 231-263 [Date published 1 December 1995]

Holthuis, L.B. 1991. FAO Species Catalogue. Vol. 13. Marine lobsters of the world. An annotated and illustrated catalogue of species of interest to fisheries known to date. FAO Fisheries Synopsis No. 125, 13: i-viii, 1-292

Jenkins, R.J.F. 1972. Metanephrops, a new genus of late Pliocene to recent lobsters (Decapoda, Nephropidae). Crustaceana 22(2): 161-177 2 pls

History of changes