Crustacea, the Higher Taxa

J.K. Lowry

Anaspidacea (Syncarida, Malacostraca)

Common name. Mountain Shrimps.

Description. Head. Rostrum present or absent; eyes sessile or stalked or absent; compound, visual elements present; ocular scale absent; naupliar eyes absent. Antennules (antenna 1) biramous, or uniramous; peduncle and flagellum distinct; endopod reduced, vestigial or absent; exopod well developed, whip-like; statocyst present, or statocyst absent. Antennae (antenna 2) uniramous; exopod multiarticulate, or exopod forming a scaphocerite. Mandible uniramous; palp absent. Maxillipeds, 1 pair; biramous. Thorax. Carapace absent. Thorax and abdomen differentiated. Peraeopods (legs) 7 pairs; biramous, or uniramous; non-phyllopodous; undifferentiated (simple). Abdomen with 6 somites or with 5 somites. Epimera present. Pleopods present or absent, 5 pairs or 2 pairs or 1 pair; pleopod 1 forming a gonopod (eg. petasma) in males (check). Uropods well developed, 1 pair, positioned ventrolaterally; rami present, exopod without diaresis or exopod with diaresis, partial or complete; endopod without statocyst. Telson present (not fused to pleon).

Larval development. Anamorphic, or epimorphic. Eggs shed or deposited externally.

Habitat. Freshwater lakes and streams.

Remarks. The family Stycocarididae differs significantly from other anaspidaceans, probably because the species are interstitial and the morphology is reduced.

Distribution. Southern Australia, mainly Tasmania; ? South America.
