Family EOPHLIANTIDAE Sheard, 1936

Bircenna ignea

© Copyright from Barnard 1972: fig. 109.

Museums

Regional Maps

• Eophliantidae Sheard, K.S. 1936. Amphipods from a South Australian reef. Part 2. Transactions and Proceedings of the Royal Society of South Australia 60: 173-179, pl. 17.

  Type genus:

   Eophliantis Sheard, 1936.

Introduction

Eophliantidae are a family of six genera and 12 species known almost exclusively from cold and temperate waters of the Southern Hemisphere. Only two genera and three species are currently known from southern Australian waters, although Cylindryllioides mawsoni Nicholls, 1938, is very common at Macquarie Island. Morphological information and some habitat information can be found in Sheard (1936), Nicholls (1939) and J.L. Barnard (1972a, 1972b). Eophliantids are always found in association with algae and their cylindrical body shape suggests that they burrow into algae and probably feed on it. A key to all genera is available in Barnard & Karaman (1991).

Diagnosis

Head as long as deep or longer than deep; rostrum short or absent; eyes round or ovoid. Body cylindrical; smooth. Antenna 1 subequal to, or longer than antenna 2; peduncular article 1 shorter than or subequal to article 2; article 2 subequal to, or longer than article 3; article 3 subequal to, or longer than article 1; accessory flagellum absent; primary flagellum less than or more than 5-articulate; callynophore present or absent. Antenna 2 short; flagellum shorter than peduncle; less than or more than 5-articulate. Mandible incisor smooth; lacinia mobilis present on left side only; molar present or absent, non-triturating; palp present or absent. Maxilla 1 inner plate weakly setose apically; palp 1-articulate or absent. Maxilliped inner plates well developed; outer plates large. Coxae 1–4 broader than long, overlapping or discontiguous. Gnathopod 1 not sexually dimorphic; subequal to gnathopod 2; subchelate or parachelate; coxa subequal to coxa 2; carpus subequal to, or longer than propodus. Gnathopod 2 not sexually dimorphic; subchelate or parachelate; coxa subequal to but not hidden by coxa 3; ischium long; carpus short, subequal to, or longer than propodus. Pereopod 3 coxa well developed or vestigial, as long as broad or broader than long; carpus shorter than propodus, not produced. Pereopod 4 coxa subequal to coxa 3, without posteroventral lobe; carpus shorter than propodus, not produced. Pereopod 5 shorter than pereopod 6; coxa larger than coxa 4, without posterior lobe; basis expanded, subrectangular or subovate, with or without posteroventral lobe; carpus expanded or weakly expanded. Pereopod 6 subequal to pereopod 7; basis expanded. Pereopod 7 longer than pereopod 5; basis expanded, with broad posteroventral lobe. Urosomites 1–3 free or 1 free, 2 and 3 coalesced; urosomite 1 longer or much longer than urosomite 2. Uropods 1–2 apices of rami without robust setae. Uropod 3 peduncle short; rami absent. Telson weakly thickened dorsoventrally; deeply cleft or entire; dorsal and apical robust setae absent.

General References

Barnard, J.L. 1972a. Gammaridean Amphipoda of Australia, Part I. Smithsonian Contributions to Zoology 103: i-vi 1-333

Barnard, J.L. 1972b. The marine fauna of New Zealand: Algae-living littoral Gammaridea (Crustacea Amphipoda). Memoirs of the New Zealand Oceanographic Institute 62: 1-216

Barnard, J.L. & Karaman, G.S. 1991. The families and genera of marine gammaridean Amphipoda (except marine gammaroids). Records of the Australian Museum, Supplement 13: 1-866

Nicholls, G.E. 1938. Amphipoda Gammaridea. Australasian Antarctic Expedition 1911–14. Science Report C 2(4): 1-145

Nicholls, G.E. 1939. The Prophliantidae: A proposed new family of Amphipoda with description of a new genus and four new species. Records of the South Australian Museum (Adelaide) 6(3): 309-334

Sheard, K.S. 1936. Amphipods of the phliantid group in the South Australian Museum, with a suggested division of the family. Records of the South Australian Museum (Adelaide) 5(4): 456-468

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