Family RHYSCOTIDAE Budde-Lund, 1908

Rhyscotus australis

© Copyright from Lewis 1998.

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Introduction

The family comprises about a dozen species and is distributed mostly in tropical America and Africa. The family and its two genera, Rhyscotus and Rhyscotoides, were diagnosed by Schmalfuss & Ferrara (1978), but the family had been discussed earlier by Arcangeli (1950). The diagnosis is adapted from Schmalfuss & Ferrara (1978).

Diagnosis

Protandrous hermaphrodite. Animal does not conglobate. Head with a large bulbous protuberance, limited dorsally by supra-antennal line. Protuberance contains strong muscles inserted in the clypeus. Antenna 2 flagellum with 2 articles. Maxilla almost semicircular. Maxillipedal palp and endite both short. Without pleopodal lungs.

General References

Arcangeli, A. 1950. La famiglia Rhyscotidae. Crostacei Isopodi terrestri. Bollettino dell'Istituto e Musei di Zoologia dell'Università di Torino 2: 5-36

Budde-Lund, G. 1908. Isopoda von Madagasgar und Ostafrika mit Diagnosen verwandter Arten. Wissenschaftliche Ergebnisse der Reise in Ostafrika in der Jahren 1903–1905 2(4): 265-308

Schmalfuss, H. & Ferrara, F. 1978. Terrestrial isopods from West Africa. Part 2: Families Tylidae, Ligiidae, Trichoniscidae, Styloniscidae, Rhyscotidae, Halophilosciidae, Philosciidae, Platyarthridae, Trachelipidae, Porcellionidae, Armadillidiidae. Monitore Zoologico Italiano n.s., Monographie 11: 15-97

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