Family VIBILIIDAE Dana, 1852

Vibilia robusta

© Copyright from Zeidler 1998: fig. 25.

Museums

Regional Maps

Introduction

The Vibiliidae are a small, distinctive family of two or three genera and about 20 species; most species are in the genus Vibilia. Bowman & Gruner (1973) recognised Cyllopus Dana and Vibilia Milne Edwards. In addition, Vinogradov et al. (1982) recognised Vibilioides Chevreux. Vinogradov et al. (1982; in Russian) provided keys to the genera and species of the world.

Species of Vibilia are associated only with salps (Laval 1980) which they use as a base for reproduction. Nothing is known about the biology of Cyllopus, but Laval (1963) has given examples of the complicated reproductive procedures of Vibilia. Young & Anderson (1987) found species of Vibilia to be diverse, but not abundant in the upper 100 m of waters off New South Wales.

Diagnosis

Head as long as deep or deeper than long; anteroventral margin rounded or straight; rostrum present or absent; eyes occupying most of lateral surface of head or not. Body laterally compressed or subcylindrical. Antenna 1 shorter than or subequal to antenna 2; peduncle 3-articulate; peduncular article 1 longer than article 2; article 2 subequal to article 3; calceoli absent. Mandible molar present. Maxilla 1 inner plate present; palp 1-articulate. Maxilla 2 inner plate present or absent. Gnathopod 1 simple; carpus subequal to or longer than propodus; dactylus large. Pereopod 3 carpus shorter than propodus. Pereopod 5 longer than pereopod 6; without posteroventral lobe; carpus linear. Pereopod 6 longer than pereopod 7; basis expanded. Pereopod 7 basis expanded. Uropod 2 inner ramus subequal to, or longer than outer ramus. Uropod 3 sexually dimorphic or not; biramous.

General References

Bowman, T.E. & Gruner, H.E. 1973. The families and genera of Hyperiidea (Crustacea: Amphipoda). Smithsonian Contributions to Zoology 146: 1-64

Dana, J.D. 1852. On the classification of the Crustacea Choristopoda or Tetradecapoda. American Journal of Science and Arts 2 14(41): 297-316

Laval, P. 1963. Sur la biolgie et les larves de Vibilia armata Bov. et de V. propinqua Stebb., amphipodes hypérides. Comptes Rendus (Hebdomadaires) des Séances de l'Academie des Sciences. Série D. Sciences Naturelles 257: 1-4

Laval, P. 1980. Hyperiid amphipods as crustacean parasitoids associated with gelatinous zooplankton. Oceanography and Marine Biology Annual Reviews 18: 11-56

Vinogradov, M.E., Volkov, A.F. & Semenova, T.N. 1982. Amphipoda — Hyperiidea of the World Ocean. Nauka Leningrad U.S.S.R. Opred. po Faune S.S.S.R 132: 1-491 [in Russian]

Young, J.W. & Anderson, D.T. 1987. Hyperiid amphipods (Crustacea: Peracarida) from a warm-core eddy in the Tasman Sea. Australian Journal of Marine and Freshwater Research 38(6): 711-725

Zeidler, W. 1998. Pelagic amphipods (Crustacea: Amphipoda: Hyperiidea) collected from eastern and south-eastern Australian waters by the CSIRO vessel "Warreen" during the years 1938–1941. Records of the South Australian Museum (Adelaide) Monograph Series 4: 1-143

Zeidler, W. 2003. A review of the hyperiidean amphipod superfamily Vibilioidea Bowman & Gruner, 1973 (Crustacea: Amphipoda: Hyperiidea). Zootaxa 280: 1-104

History of changes