Family MELITIDAE Bousfield, 1973

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Regional Maps

Introduction

The Melitidae were split amphipods are now confined to species with the inner ramus of uropod 3 significantly shorter than the outer.

 

Diagnosis

Head as long as deep or longer than deep; anteroventral margin weakly recessed, moderately recessed or notched; anteroventral corner rounded, subquadrate or hooked; rostrum short or absent; eyes well developed (round or reniform), obsolescent or absent. Body laterally compressed; smooth; with sparse slender or robust dorsal setae on urosome or without setae. Antenna 1 subequal to, or longer than antenna 2; peduncular article 1 shorter than, subequal to, or longer than article 2; article 2 longer than article 3; article 3 shorter than article 1; primary flagellum 5- or more articulate; callynophore absent. Antenna 2 short or medium length; flagellum shorter than peduncle; 5- or more articulate. Mandible incisor dentate; lacinia mobilis present on both sides; molar triturating, weakly triturating or non-triturating. Maxilla 1 inner plate strongly setose along medial margin. Maxilliped inner plates well developed; outer plates large or small. Coxae 1–4 longer than broad or broader than long, overlapping. Gnathopod 1 not sexually dimorphic; smaller (or weaker) than or subequal to gnathopod 2; subchelate; coxa subequal to coxa 2; carpus subequal to, or longer than propodus; propodus palm without robust setae along margin. Gnathopod 2 sexually dimorphic; subchelate; coxa subequal to but not hidden by coxa 3; ischium short; carpus short, shorter than propodus, slightly or not produced along posterior margin of propodus. Pereopod 3 coxa longer than broad; carpus subequal to propodus, not produced. Pereopod 4 coxa subequal to, or larger than coxa 3, with or without posteroventral lobe; carpus subequal to propodus, not produced. Pereopod 5 shorter than pereopod 6; coxa smaller than coxa 4, without posterior lobe; basis expanded, with or without posteroventral lobe; carpus linear; dactylus with a few subterminal setae. Pereopod 6 subequal to pereopod 7; basis expanded; dactylus with a few subterminal setae. Pereopod 7 longer than pereopod 5; basis expanded, subovate. Pleonites 1–3 with or without transverse dorsal serrations; without slender or robust dorsal setae. Epimeron 2 setose or without setae. Urosomite 1 longer or much longer than urosomite 2; urosomite 1 bicarinate or urosomites not carinate. Uropods 1–3 similar in structure and size or radically dissimilar. Uropods 1–2 apices of rami with robust setae. Uropod 1 peduncle with 1 or 2 basofacial robust setae. Uropod 3 biramous; peduncle short; rami lanceolate or foliaceous; outer ramus longer than peduncle; inner ramus apically setose or not. Telson laminar; deeply cleft; longer than broad or as long as broad; dorsal robust setae present; apical robust setae present.

 

General References

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

Barnard, J.L. 1974. Gammaridean Amphipoda of Australia, Part II. Smithsonian Contributions to Zoology 139: i-v 1-148

Berents, P.B. 1983. The Melitidae of Lizard Island and adjacent reefs, The Great Barrier Reef, Australia (Crustacea: Amphipoda). Records of the Australian Museum 35: 101-143

Bousfield, E.L. 1973. Shallow-water Gammaridean Amphipoda of New England. Ithaca & London : Cornell University Press 312 pp.

Bradbury, J.H. & Williams, W.D. 1999. Key to and checklist of the inland aquatic amphipods of Australia. Technical Reports of the Australian Museum 14: 1-21

Haswell, W.A. 1879. On Australian Amphipoda. Proceedings of the Linnean Society of New South Wales 4: 245-279 pls 7-12

Haswell, W.A. 1879. On some additional new genera and species of amphipodous crustaceans. Proceedings of the Linnean Society of New South Wales 4(3): 319-356 pls 18-24

Krapp-Schickel, G. 2001. Pitfall genus Maera (Crustacea, Amphipoda, Melitidae). Polskie Archiwum Hydrobiologii 47(3–4): 413-440

Krapp-Schickel, T. & Ruffo, S. 2000. The Maera quadrimana-complex (Crustacea, Amphipoda, Melitidae) demands a new concept Quadrimaera n. gen. (with description of three new species from Western Atlantic). Bollettino del Museo Civico di Storia Naturale di Verona 24: 193-214

Lowry, J.K., Berents, P.B. & Springthorpe, R.T. 2001. Australian Amphipoda: Melitidae. Version 1: 1 September 2001. http://crustacea.net.

Lowry, J.K. & Springthorpe, R.T. 2005. New and little-known melitid amphipods from Australian waters (Crustacea, Amphipoda, Melitidae). Records of the Australian Museum 57(2): 237-302

 

History of changes

Published	As part of group	Action Date	Action Type	Compiler(s)
05-Aug-2022	AMPHIPODA	06-Feb-2013	MOVED	Dr Jim Lowry (AM)
05-Aug-2022		22-Nov-2012	MODIFIED
05-Aug-2022		16-Dec-2011	MODIFIED
05-Aug-2022		08-Aug-2011	MODIFIED
		12-Feb-2010	(import)