Family SCYLLARIDAE Latreille, 1825

Arctides antipodarum

Ibacus peronii

Scyllarus martensii

Thenus orientalis

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Family SCYLLARIDAE Latreille, 1825

Compiler and date details

May 2012 - Peter Davie, Queensland Museum, Brisbane

Scyllarides Latreille, P.A. 1825. Familles Naturelles du Règne Animal, exposées succinctement et dans un ordre analytique, avec l'indication de leurs genres. Paris : J.-B. Baillière 570 pp. [278] [name placed on the Official List of Family Names in Zoology, see International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature 1958. Opinion 519. Addition to the Official List of Generic Names in Zoology of the names of twenty-three genera of Macrura Reptantia (Class Crustacea) and use of the Plenary Powers in regard to three matters concerned therewith. Opinions and Declarations rendered by the International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature 19: 133–168].
Secondary source:
International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature 1958. Opinion 519. Addition to the Official List of Generic Names in Zoology of the names of twenty-three genera of Macrura Reptantia (Class Crustacea) and use of the Plenary Powers in regard to three matters concerned therewith. Opinions and Declarations rendered by the International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature 19: 133-168.
Arctidinae Holthuis, L.B. 1985. A revision of the family Scyllaridae (Crustacea: Decapoda: Macrura). I. Subfamily Ibacinae. Zoologische Verhandelingen (Leiden) 218: 1-130 figs 1-27 [10].
Ibacinae Holthuis, L.B. 1985. A revision of the family Scyllaridae (Crustacea: Decapoda: Macrura). I. Subfamily Ibacinae. Zoologische Verhandelingen (Leiden) 218: 1-130 figs 1-27 [10].
Theninae Holthuis, L.B. 1985. A revision of the family Scyllaridae (Crustacea: Decapoda: Macrura). I. Subfamily Ibacinae. Zoologische Verhandelingen (Leiden) 218: 1-130 figs 1-27 [10, 12].

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 [171]

Introduction

Members of this family are commonly referred to as 'Slipper Lobsters'. They are typically bottom-dwelling, and found from shallow inshore waters out onto the continental slope to nearly 500 metres depth. Some such as Thenus and Ibacus species are more typically soft bottom inhabitants, which allows them to be trawled easily, but others such as the large Scyllarides, Arctides and Parribacus species live in caves and crevices on reefs, and are encountered mainly by SCUBA divers. Species of Thenus (Moreton Bay Bugs) and Ibacus (Balmain Bug) are of considerable economic importance, particularly to the east coast fishery.

The most important works dealing with the Australian fauna are: Holthuis (1991), Brown & Holthuis (1998), and Holthuis (2002). Holthuis (1996) provided an interesting historical account of the Scyllaridae collected during the 1800–1804 French Expedition to Australia including the original figures of Leseur and notes by Péron.

Diagnosis

Small to moderately large lobsters. Body often strongly depressed, carapace laterally angular, rostrum absent or minute; eyes small but distinct and pigmented, enclosed within distinct orbits; no large frontal horns. Antennae short, broad, extremely flattened and plate or scale-like; antennules short and slender, with short flagella. All pereiopods similar in size and non-chelate (except Scyllarus cultrifer which has pereiopods 3 and 4 subchelate). Abdomen and tailfan well developed and powerful; posterior half of tailfan soft and flexible. (After Chan 1998).