Family STENOTHOIDAE Boeck, 1871

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Introduction

Stenothoids are a cosmopolitan group of benthic amphipods. They are mainly intertidal to the outer edge of the continental shelf, but they have been recorded to 5000 m depth. Barnard & Karaman (1991) reported 29 genera and about 220 species. They are relatively well known in southern Australian waters. A key to all genera is presented in Barnard & Karaman (1991).

Stenothoids are small-bodied amphipods with large, shield-like coxal plates. They live among algae, sponges, hydroids and other sessile invertebrates. Occasionally they have been reported as associates of other invertebrates such as hermit crabs (McGrath 1978) and molluscs (Vader 1972). Krapp-Schickel (1993) reported that Schiecke (1973) recorded species of Stenothoe preying on hydroids and that Moore et al. (1994) had evidence of hydroid tentacles in the diet of Stenothoe brevicornis. The occurrence of stenothoids among algae (see Edgar 1983; Krapp-Schickel 1993) may be dependent on hydroids also living on the algae. Apparently nothing is published about life histories in this group.

 

Diagnosis

Head as long as deep; rostrum short or absent; eyes round. Body laterally compressed or subglobular; smooth and dorsally carinate. Antenna 1 shorter than, subequal to, or longer than antenna 2; peduncular article 1 shorter than, subequal to, or longer than article 2; article 2 longer than article 3; article 3 shorter than article 1; accessory flagellum present or absent; primary flagellum less than or more than 5-articulate; callynophore absent. Antenna 2 short or medium length; peduncle with many or sparse robust or slender setae; flagellum shorter or longer than peduncle; 5- or more articulate. Mandible incisor dentate; palp present or absent. Maxilla 1 inner plate weakly setose apically; palp 1- or 2-articulate. Maxilliped inner plates well developed or reduced; outer plates vestigial. Coxae 1–3 longer than broad, overlapping; coxa 1 vestigial; coxa 4 immensely broadened. Gnathopod 1 sexually dimorphic or not; smaller (or weaker) than or subequal to gnathopod 2; simple, weakly subchelate, subchelate or chelate; coxa vestigial, hidden or partially hidden by coxa 2; carpus shorter than, subequal to, or longer than propodus, strongly or not produced along posterior margin of propodus. Gnathopod 2 sexually dimorphic or not; subchelate or chelate; coxa smaller than or subequal to but not hidden by coxa 3; ischium short; carpus short, shorter than propodus, slightly or not produced along posterior margin of propodus. Pereopods some, all or none prehensile; 3–4 not glandular. Pereopod 3 coxa longer than broad; carpus shorter than propodus, not produced. Pereopod 4 coxa larger than coxa 3, without posteroventral lobe; carpus shorter than propodus, not produced. Pereopod 5 subequal to pereopod 6; coxa smaller than coxa 4, without posterior lobe; basis linear, subrectangular, with or without posteroventral lobe; carpus linear. Pereopod 6 subequal to pereopod 7; basis expanded, slightly expanded or linear. Pereopod 7 subequal to pereopod 5; basis expanded or linear, subrectangular, with or without dense long slender setae. Pleonite 3 with or without dorsal carina. Urosomites 1–3 free or coalesced; urosomite 1 longer or much longer than urosomite 2. Uropods 1–2 apices of rami without robust setae. Uropod 3 uniramous; peduncle short; ramus styliform. Telson laminar or vaulted; entire; longer than broad; dorsal robust setae present or absent; apical robust setae absent.

 

General References

Barnard, J.L. 1974. Gammaridean Amphipoda of Australia, Part II. Smithsonian Contributions to Zoology 139: i-v 1-148

Barnard, J.L. & Karaman, G.S. 1991. The families and genera of marine gammaridean Amphipoda (except marine gammaroids). Records of the Australian Museum, Supplement 13: 1-866

Boeck, A. 1871. Crustacea Amphipoda Borealia et Arctica. Bulletin of the Mauritius Institute 1870: 81-280 i-viii

Edgar, G.J. 1983. The ecology of south-eastern Tasmanian phytal animal communities. I. Spatial organisation on a local scale. Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology 70: 129-157

Krapp-Schickel, G. 1993. Do algal-dwelling amphipods react to the "critical zones" of a coastal slope? pp. 883-900 in Moore, P.G. & Watling, L. Amphipods, a noble obsession: essays in memory of J. Laurens Barnard (1928–1991). Journal of Natural History 27(4): 723-988

Krapp-Schickel, T. 1999. Synkope laurina, n.gen. and n.sp., a very specialized Australian stenothoid. Bollettino del Museo Civico di Storia Naturale di Verona 25: 409-425

Krapp-Schickel, T. 2000. Thaumatelsonine stenothoids (Crustacea: Amphipoda): Part 1. Memoirs of Museum Victoria 58(1): 89-124

Krapp-Schickel, T. 2010. On Austral-Antarctic Stenothoidae sensu lato (Crustacea, Amphipoda) with description of Sandrothoe eucla sp. nov. Mitteilungen aus dem Hamburgischen Zoologischen Museum und Institut 106: 7-25 [Date published 2010: dated 2009]

Krapp-Schickel, T. & Andres, H.G. 1998. A new stenothoid species related to the taxon Raumahara Barnard from Australia (Crustacea, Amphipoda, Gammaridea). Helgoländer Wissenschaftliche Meeresuntersuchungen 52: 51-58

McGrath, D. 1978. Stenula latipes (Chevreux & Fage) (Crustacea: amphipoda), associated with the hermit crab Pagurus bernhardus (L.), new to the Irish fauna. Irish Naturalists Journal 19(6): 196-197

Moore, P.G., Rainbow, P.S. & Vader, W. 1994. On the feeding and comparative biology of iron in coelenterate-associated gammaridean Amphipoda (Crustacea) from N. Norway. Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology 178(2): 205-231

Schiecke, U. 1973. Ein Beitrag zur Kenntnis der Systematik, Biologie und Autökologie mariner Peracarida (Amphipoda, Isopoda, Tanadaicea) des Golfes von Neapel. Inaugural Dissertation, Mathematik Naturwissenschaften Fakulte, Christian-Albrechts Universite, Kiel. 408 pp.

Vader, W. 1972. Associations between amphipods and molluscs. a review of published records. Sarsia 48: 13-18

 

History of changes

Published	As part of group	Action Date	Action Type	Compiler(s)
05-Aug-2022	AMPHIPODA	06-Feb-2013	MOVED	Dr Jim Lowry (AM)
05-Aug-2022		22-Nov-2012	MODIFIED
05-Aug-2022		08-Aug-2011	MODIFIED
05-Aug-2022		19-May-2011	MODIFIED
		12-Feb-2010	(import)