Tanaidacea: Families

Kim Larsen


Agathotanaidae Lang, 1971

Agathotanaidae Lang, 1971: 367.

Agathotanaididae Larsen & Wilson, 2002: xxx.

Description. Body shape cylindrical. Head, eye absent. Antennule (antenna 1) uniramous, with four to five articles, or uniramous, with less than four articles. Antenna (antenna 2), with 3 or less articles, or with 5 or 6 articles; squama absent. Mouthparts well developed, functional in both sexes. Mandible, palp absent; lacina mobilis only on left mandible, or absent; setal row absent; molar pointed, or membranous or absent. Labium with one pair of lobes, not articulated. Maxillule (maxilla 1), with one endite; palp uniarticulated, palp with two terminal setae. Maxilla (maxilla 2) reduced. Maxilliped, coxa absent; basis partly fused; endites not fused, narrower than basis. Epignath small, falciform, uniarticulated, with few setae at apex or completely smooth.

Pereonite 1 not reduced, at least three times wider than pereopod basis diameter. Cheliped, attachment directly to ventral cephalothorax surface, or via pseudocoxa on ventral cephalothorax surface; exopod absent; carpus with few or no long plumose setae. Pereopods 1 to 3, coxae present, or absent. Pereopod 1, without plumose setae on distal articles; coxa not extended into acute spine; ischium present; dactylus long, curved with spinning glands at tip. Pereopod 4 as long as pereopods 5 and 6, dactylus not reduced. Pereopods 4 to 6, coxa present, or absent; dactylus and terminal seta not fused. Marsupium formed by four pairs of oostegites.

Pleon with five developed pleonites, or with all pleonites fused with last pereonite and with pleotelson. Pleopods biramous; male pleopods with simple setae only, or reduced; female pleopods absent. Uropods present; protopod without curved spiniform process; endopod with one article, or with two articles, or reduced; exopod reduced.

Generic composition. Agathotanais Hansen, 1913; Metagathotanais Bird & Holdich, 1988; Paragathotanais Lang, 1971; Paranarthrura Hansen, 1913; Paranarthrurella Lang, 1971.

Remarks. Remarks. A deep water taxon.



Cite this publication as: 'Larsen, K. (2002 onwards). Tanaidacea: Families. Version 1: 2 October 2002. https://crustacea.net'.