Order TANAIDACEA Hansen, 1895

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Order TANAIDACEA Hansen, 1895

Compiler and date details

April 2011 - Kelly Merrin

30 April 2005 - Gary C.B. Poore, Helen M. Lew Ton & Jürgen Sieg

Introduction

Tanaidaceans are common peracaridans of all marine benthic environments. They are recognised by the fusion of the head to the first and second thoracomeres thereby having always only six free thoracomeres. The second thoracopods (chelipeds) are chelate or subchelate and are followed by six pairs of pereopods.

The literature on the Tanaidacea is extensive. Bacescu (1974) provided a bibliography and Sieg (1983a) expanded this and catalogued all species known up to 1980 with complete synonymies and references. The evolution of the order was treated using phylogenetic principles by Sieg (1983b, 1984). He also discussed general morphology, distribution and sexual dimorphism. Sieg & Winn (1978) provided keys to all families and Gutu (1972, 1981) diagnosed families and gave keys to the 'Monokonophora'. More recent reviews have been provided by Gutu (1996) and by Gutu & Sieg (1999). The last discusses morphology and ecology, in French, and lists all genera and higher taxa.

All surveys of benthic marine communities in bays and on the shelf and slope of Australia have turned up numerous species of tanaidaceans, but few species have been described from waters surrounding the Australian mainland.

Our Catalogue includes species from the Australian subantarctic islands, Macquarie Island and Heard Island (Sieg 1986a). A few species have extensive synonymies which can be found in Sieg (1983a). Our synonymies list only those junior synonyms used for Australian records.

The systematic arrangement in this contribution largely follows Sieg (1984). Four suborders of Tanaidacea are currently recognised and replace the earlier division into Monokonophora and Dikonophora. Two, Apseudomorpha (equivalent to the Monokonophora) and Tanaidomorpha (which, with the Neotanaidomorpha, is equivalent to the Dikonophora), are represented in the known Australian fauna. The biogeography of the group was discussed by Sieg (1986b).

The name Tanaidacea was first introduced for the order by Hansen (1895). Spelling of family names derived from the genus Tanais are here brought into line with Latin usage, e.g. Tanaidae becomes Tanaididae.

This chapter of the Catalogue was initiated in Melbourne in the 1980s with the help of Jürgen Sieg in Osnabrück who contributed lists, diagnoses and opinions on higher classification. Dr Sieg died on 14 August 1996 and the work was completed by Gary Poore in 2000–2002 with the help of Richard Heard and Kim Larsen. The diagnoses written by Sieg have not been altered and may not be compatible with more recent interpretations, e.g. by Gutu (1996) and Gutu & Sieg (1999). Generic composition of some families may also differ too but these alternative views are highlighted.{47917:b}