Family URISTIDAE Hurley, 1963

Galathella bassiana

© Copyright from Lowry & Stoddart 1995: fig. 4.

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Introduction

Hurley (1963) established the Uristinae for lysianassid amphipods in which 'gnathopod 1 is subchelate or imperfectly subchelate'. He included a number of Californian genera in the subfamily, but never indicated the full extent of the group. Lowry and Stoddart (1992) raised the subfamily to family status and further refined the family by discussing an anonychine group which included genera with a 7/4 crown setal-tooth arrangement on maxilla 1 and a tongue-like mandibular molar. Lowry and Stoddart (1997) established the subfamily Tryphosinae within the Lysianassidae, further restricting the uristid concept. The restricted Uristidae is composed of mainly demersal scavenging genera and some highly derived genera often associated with other invertebrates (Vader 1978). Eight of the 21 genera currently considered in the Uristidae occur in Australian waters. Until the polyphyly of the Lysianssidae is resolved it is not possible to diagnose the family Uristidae.

Diagnosis

Head as long as deep, or deeper than long; anteroventral margin weakly or moderately recessed and deeply or shallowly excavate; anteroventral corner subquadrate; rostrum absent; eyes well developed (ovoid, reniform, lageniform or occupying most of lateral surface of head), obsolescent or absent. Body laterally compressed; smooth. Antenna 1 shorter than or subequal to antenna 2; peduncular article 1 longer than article 2; article 2 subequal to, or longer than article 3; article 3 shorter than article 1; primary flagellum 5- or more articulate; callynophore present. Antenna 2 short, medium length or long; peduncle with sparse robust or slender setae; flagellum shorter than, as long as or longer than peduncle; calceoli present or absent. Mandible incisor smooth; lacinia mobilis present on left side only; molar strongly or weakly triturating, setose with reduced triturating surface, fully setose, a smooth setose protuberance or absent. Maxilla 1 inner plate weakly setose apically. Maxilliped inner plates well developed; outer plates large or small. Coxae 1–4 longer than or as long as broad, overlapping. Coxae 1–3 with none vestigial or reduced or with coxa 1 reduced, tapering or not or vestigial. Gnathopod 1 not sexually dimorphic; smaller (or weaker) than or subequal to gnathopod 2; simple, weakly subchelate, subchelate, parachelate or chelate; coxa vestigial or smaller than, subequal to or larger than coxa 2; carpus shorter than, subequal to, or longer than propodus, not produced along posterior margin of propodus. Gnathopod 2 not sexually dimorphic; subchelate or chelate; coxa subequal to but not hidden by coxa 3; ischium long; carpus long, longer than propodus; dactylus well developed or minute. Peraeopod 3 coxa longer than broad; carpus shorter than or subequal to propodus, not produced. Peraeopod 4 coxa subequal to or larger than coxa 3, with well developed posteroventral lobe; carpus shorter than or subequal to propodus, not produced. Peraeopod 5 shorter than or subequal to peraeopod 6; coxa smaller than coxa 4, equilobate or posterior lobe weak or absent; basis expanded, subrectangular or subovate, with posteroventral lobe; carpus linear. Peraeopod 6 shorter than or subequal to peraeopod 7; basis expanded. Peraeopod 7 subequal to, or longer than peraeopod 5; basis expanded, subrectangular or subovate. Urosomite 1 longer or much longer than urosomite 2; urosomite 1 carinate or urosomites not carinate. Uropods 1–2 apices of rami without robust setae. Uropod 3 peduncle short; biramous; rami lanceolate; outer ramus longer than peduncle; inner ramus not apically setose. Telson laminar; deeply, moderately or weakly cleft, notched, emarginate or entire; longer than or as long as broad; dorsal and apical robust setae present or absent.

General References

Hurley, D.E. 1963. Amphipoda of the family Lysianassidae from the west coast of North and Central America. Occasional Papers of the Allan Hancock Foundation 25: 1-160

Lowry, J.K. & Kilgallen, N.M. 2014. A generic review of the lysianassoid family Uristidae and descriptions of new taxa from Australian waters (Crustacea, Amphipoda, Uristidae). Zootaxa 3867(1): 1-92

Lowry, J.K. & Stoddart, H.E. 1992. A revision of the genus Ichnopus (Crustacea: Amphipoda: Lysianassoidea: Uristidae). Records of the Australian Museum 44(2): 185-245

Lowry, J.K. & Stoddart, H.E. 1995. New lysianassoid genera and species from south-eastern Australia (Crustacea: Amphipoda). Records of the Australian Museum 47: 7-25

Lowry, J.K. & Stoddart, H.E. 1997. Amphipoda Crustacea IV. Families Aristiidae, Cyphocarididae, Endevouridae, Lysianassidae, Scopelocheiridae, Uristidae. Memoirs of the Hourglass Cruises 10(1): 1-148

Vader, W. 1978. Associations between amphipods and echinoderms. Astarte 11: 123-134

History of changes