Family TEGASTIDAE Sars, 1904

Museums

Regional Maps

• Tegastidae Sars, G.O. 1904. Copepoda Harpacticoida. Parts V & VI. Harpacticidae (concluded), Peltidiidae, Tegastidae, Porcellidiidae, Idyidae (part). pp. 57-80 in Sars, G.O. (ed.). An Account of the Curstacea of Norway, with short descriptions and figures of all the species. Bergen : Bergen Museum Vol. V 489 pp. [67].

  Type genus:

   Tegastes Norman, 1903.

  Secondary source:

   Lang, K. 1948. Monographie der Harpacticiden. Lund, Sweden : Håkan Ohlssons Boktrycheri 1682 pp. [464].

Introduction

The members of this family are easily distinguished by their laterally compressed bodies. They are typically phytal species, found in the marine littoral zone, although they are often collected in inshore plankton in tropical waters (Boxshall & Halsey 2004).

Five genera are known world-wide, and over 70 species have been described in this family. One genus and eight species are recorded for Australia.

Diagnosis

Body. Laterally compressed, amphipod-like, with integument strongly chitinised and pitted or sculptured to a variable degree. Cephalothorax deeply produced ventrolaterally, often with posterior chitinous strip marking line of fusion of P1-bearing somite with cephalosome. Epimeral plates of free prosomites rudimentary. Genital and first abdominal somites fused in both sexes to form ventrally produced genital double-somite. P5 -bearing somite also incorporated to form triple-somite in both sexes (except tropical genera Feregastes and Arawella). Remaining urosomites very reduced, often telescoped into triple-somite. Anal somite membranous dorsally. Caudal rami short, with seven setae.
Antennule. In female 6- to 8-segmented, with naked setal aesthetasc on fourth and apical segments. In male 8-segmented, weakly haplocer with aesthetascs on segments 3, 4 and 8
Antenna. Basis free or incompletely fused to endopod-1, without setae. Exopod minute, 1- or2-segmented with maximum of 4 setae. Endopod-1 with 1 inner seta; endopod-2 without geniculate setae but with 2 slightly curved claws.
Mandible. Exopod represented by up to 3 setae. Endopod 1-segmented.
Maxillule. Coxal endite with 1 seta. Basis elongate; rami rudimentary, fully incorporated into basis.
Maxilla. Syncoxa elongate, with 3 endites. Endopod vestigial, incorporated into allobasis.
Maxilliped. Subchelate. Syncoxa elongate, usually as long or longer than basis, with 1 seta. Seta on palmar margin of basis usually modified as spinulose pad.
P1. Basis elongate along dorso-ventral axis. Rami 1-segmented.
P1-P4. Basis transversely elongate. P4 exopod 3-segmented, segmentation of other rami variable; distal exopod segment with at most 2 outer spines. P4 exopod-3 with modified inner spine which can be slightly sexually dimorphic in male.
P5. In female endopodal lobe of baseoendopod enlarged, foliaceous, forming a brood-pouch (except in Arwella); exopod separate. In male baseoendopod extremely reduced, exopod elongate with 4 setae.
Male P6. A large membranous flap, without ornamentation or armature.

Females with 1 egg-sac containing 3-4 eggs, males with 1 spermatophore.

ID Keys

for genera, see Cottarelli & Baldari (1987), Huys et al. (1996) and Boxshall & Halsey (2004).

Diagnosis References

Boxshall, G.A. & Halsey, S.H. 2004. An Introduction to Copepod Diversity. London : The Ray Society 966 pp. [464]

Cottarelli, V. & Baldari, F. 1987. Meiobenthic Tegastidae from Salomon Atoll (chagos Islands): Arawella alexandri n. gen. n. sp. (Crustacea, Copepoda, Harpacticoida). Fragmenta Entomologica 19(2): 273-282

Huys, R., Gee, J.M., Moore, C.G. & Hamond, R. 1996. Marine and Brackish Water Harpacticoid Copepods. Shrewsbury : Field Studies Council Vol. 1 352 pp. [288]

General References

Boxshall, G.A. & Halsey, S.H. 2004. An Introduction to Copepod Diversity. London : The Ray Society 966 pp.

History of changes