Family SERGESTIDAE Dana, 1852

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Family SERGESTIDAE Dana, 1852

Compiler and date details

April 2012 - Peter Davie, Queensland Museum

Sergestidae Dana, J.D. 1852. Conspectus Crustaceorum quae in Orbis Terrarum circumnavigatione, Carolo Wilkes e classe Reipublicae Foederatae Duce, lexit et descripsit. Proceedings of the Academy of Natural Sciences, Philadelphia 6: 10-28 [18] [placed on the Official List of Family-Group Names in Zoology, see International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature 1969. Opinion 864. Penaeid generic names (Crustacea, Decapoda): addition of twenty-eight to the Official List. Bulletin of Zoological Nomenclature 25: 138–147].
Type genus:
Sergestes H. Milne Edwards, 1830.
Secondary source:
International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature 1969. Opinion 864. Penaeid generic names (Crustacea, Decapoda): addition of twenty-eight to the Official List. Bulletin of Zoological Nomenclature 25: 138-147.

Introduction

Sergestid shrimps are mostly small, and can often be extremely abundant. The Australian Paste Shrimp (Acetes sibodae) forms large swarms in brackish estuarine waters along the eastern Australian coast, but the greatest number of species are oceanic and occur in meso- or bathypelagic depths. The most useful recent references dealing with the deep water Australian species include Griffith & Brandt (1983a, 1983b), Griffiths & Wadley (1986) and Wasmer (1993).

The Sergestidae is grouped with the Luciferidae in the superfamily Sergestoidea. Pérez Farfante & Kensley (1997: 187) provided a key to six of the genera.

Diagnosis

Integument thin, often very soft, in two genera bearing photophores. Carapace moderately compressed; rostrum shorter than eyestalks, often small to rudimentary; supra-orbital spine and hepatic spine present in some species of some genera; antennal, branchiostegal, and pterygostomian spines absent; cervical sulcus well marked, weak, or absent. Ventral antennular flagellum modified in male to form clasping organ. Antennal flagellum bipartite, consisting of stiff proximal portion and more flexible distal portion. Mandibular palp of three articles. First maxilliped with exopod and epipod; second maxilliped with epipod; second and third maxillipeds and all pereiopods lacking exopods. Second and third pereiopods with minute chela (Sergestes pectinatus lacking chela on third pereiopod). Fourth and fifth pereiopods reduced (except in Sicyonella) or absent. Branchiae present. First to fifth abdominal somites rounded dorsally, sixth somite weakly carinate. Telson with no more than three pairs, or lacking, lateral movable spines. Petasma variously composed of lobus accessorius, lobus armatus, lobus connectens, lobus inermis, lobus terminalis, processus ventralis, processus uncifer; lobes often bearing hooks. Appendix masculina unilamellate. Thelycum with sternite XII and sometimes sternite XIII and coxae of third pereiopod modified; seminal receptacles present, small, varying from simple shallow pockets to sac-like invaginations situated submesially at base of third pereiopods. (After Pérez Farfante & Kensley 1997).