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Family SQUILLIDAE Latreille, 1802


Compiler and date details

May 2012 - Peter Davie, Queensland Museum, Brisbane

Introduction

The Squillidae was the first named of the stomatopod families and is the largest. It comprises 44 described genera worldwide, 37 in the Indo-west Pacific, and 25 from Australia. Fifty-nine species are reported from Australia, but ongoing revisionary work will expand the Australian faunal list markedly.

Squillids occupy burrows in soft substrates and forage actively at night. Hence, squillids are the most common stomatopods encountered by trawl fishermen, and several species are fished commercially on the east coast of Australia.

Ahyong (2001) provided keys to all squilloid genera and keys to all species of genera represented in Australia.

 

Diagnosis

Cornea with two rows of hexagonal ommatidia in the mid-band. Third and fourth maxillipeds with propodi slender, not ribbed ventrally. Body depressed, compact. Raptorial claw with ischiomeral articulation terminal, dactylus uninflated basally, with spined inner margin. Telson with distinct median carina; submedian teeth with fixed or movable apices; with four or more intermediate denticles. Uropodal protopod with one or two primary spines; articulation of exopod segments terminal.

 

History of changes

Note that this list may be incomplete for dates prior to September 2013.
Published As part of group Action Date Action Type Compiler(s)
28-Sep-2017 STOMATOPODA Latreille, 1817 25-Jul-2017 MODIFIED Dr Shane Ahyong
30-May-2012 30-May-2012 MOVED
10-May-2012 10-May-2012 MODIFIED
12-Feb-2010 (import)