Family RHYNCHOCINETIDAE Ortmann, 1890

Museums

Regional Maps

• Rhynchocinetidae Ortmann, A.E. 1890. Die Unterordnung Natantia Boas: Die Decapoden-Krebse des Strassburger Museums mit besonderer Berücksichtigung der von Herrn Dr. Döderlein bei Japan und bei den Liu-Kiu-Inseln gesammelten und z.Z. im Strassburger Museum aufbewahrten Formen, I. Zoologische Jahrbücher. Abteilung für Systematik, Ökologie und Geographie der Tiere 5: 437-542 pls 36, 37 [459] [name placed on the Official List of Family-Group Names in Zoology, see International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature 1957. Opinion 470. Additions to the Official List of Family-Group Names in Zoology of the names of one hundred and two genera of Caridea (Class Crustacea, Order Decapoda) and use of the Plenary Powers for various purposes in connection therewith. Opinions and Declarations rendered by the International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature 16: 129–202].

  Secondary source:

   International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature 1957. Opinion 470. Additions to the Official List of Family-Group Names in Zoology of the names of one hundred and two genera of Caridea (Class Crustacea, Order Decapoda) and use of the Plenary Powers for various purposes in connection therewith. Opinions and Declarations rendered by the International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature 16: 129-202.

Introduction

This family includes two genera, Rhynchocinetes H. Milne Edwards, and Cinetorhynchus Holthuis, with over 20 described species, of which 11 are found in Australian waters. Chace (1997: 27) provided a key to species. Rhynchocinetid shrimps have a characteristic hinged rostrum, are typically bottom-dwelling, and most species are brightly and distinctively patterned. They occur circumtropically, often extending into temperate seas as in Australia; and can be found from intertidal pools to a depth of 220 metres.

Diagnosis

Rostrum a discrete grossly dentate extension of remainder of carapace, but typically incompletely fused therewith. Carapace without longitudinal lateral ridges or suture or cardiac notch. Telson with three pairs of posterior marginal spines. Eyes normal, neither unusually long nor concealed beneath carapace. Antennule with two completely separate flagella, neither with accessory branch. Mandible with 3-jointed palp, rather broad incisor process, and molar process with transversely ridged grinding surface but not flared. Second maxilla with normal endite, scaphognathite produced proximally far into branchial chamber. First maxilliped with exopod not abutting endite, not displacing palp out of plane, exopod without partially detached lobe, lash well developed, caridean lobe not produced distally, distinctly overreaching endite. Second maxilliped with exopod, endopod 4-segmented, not terminating in two segments attached side by side to preceding segment, terminal segment applied as narrow strip to much wider penultimate segment. Third maxilliped with exopod, 5-segmented, slender, pereiopod-like, antepenultimate segment fused with next proximal segment. Pereiopods without exopods, with strap-like epipods (mastigobranchs) on four anterior pairs without naked appendix extending vertically into branchial chamber, with arthrobranchs on at least anterior pair, anterior pair subequal, stouter than second, with one movable and one fixed finger, second pair subequal, fixed finger not curving subrectangularly around movable finger, carpus entire, undivided. Third pereiopod with flexor margin of dactyl armed with few spines. First pleopod of male with endopod laminar, not unusually large or elaborately convoluted. (After Chace 1997).

General References

Chace, F.A., Jr 1997. The Caridean Shrimps (Crustacea: Decapoda) of the Albatross Philippine Expedition, 1907–1910, Part 7: Families Atyidae, Eugonatonotidae, Rhynchocinetidae, Bathypalaemonellidae, Processidae, and Hippolytidae. Smithsonian Contributions to Zoology No. 587: i-v, 1-106

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