PHOXOCEPHALOPSIDAE Barnard and Drummond, 1982

Sittrop, Daniela J. P., Serejo, Cristiana S., Souza-Filho, Jesser F. & Senna, André R., 2014, New genera and species of Urothoidae (Amphipoda) from the Brazilian deep sea, with the re-assignment of Pseudurothoe and Urothopsis to Phoxocephalopsidae, Journal of Natural History 49 (9), pp. 527-552 : 528-529

Family PHOXOCEPHALOPSIDAE Barnard and Drummond, 1982

Phoxocephalopsidae – Barnard and Drummond 1982: 15; Barnard and Clark 1982: 261, 1984: 85; Thurston 1989: 300; Barnard and Karaman, 1991: 636.

Diagnosis

See Thurston (1989).

Composition

Puelche Barnard and Clark, 1982 ; Phoxocephalopsis Schellenberg, 1931 ; Eophoxocephalopsis Thurston, 1989 ; Pseudurothoe Ledoyer, 1986 and Urothopsis Ledoyer, 1967 .

Remarks

The family Phoxocephalopsidae was erected based on the genus Phoxocephalopsis . Previously, this genus was included in the family Haustoriidae Stebbing, 1906 , after the classification had been discussed for a long time ( Bousfield 1978; Barnard and Drummond 1979; Thurston 1982). Before being placed in its own family, Phoxocephalopsis was included in Urothoidae , when it was introduced by Bousfield (1978); Barnard and Drummond (1982) redefined Urothoidae , restricting its generic composition to Carangolia , Cunicus , Urothoe and Urothoides . These genera share: geniculate antenna 1, peduncle article 4 of antenna 2 of Urothoe shape, scarcely expanded, and uropods 1–2 rami styliform and spinose or naked or rami absent. However, Barnard and Drummond (1982) did not refer Urothopsis to that family, although it had been included there by Bousfield (1978); Ledoyer (1986) described the new genus Pseudurothoe within Urothoidae from Madagascar. Later, Barnard and Karaman (1991) followed his family diagnosis and included Urothopsis within Urothoidae .

Recently, we studied the type species of Pseudurothoe and Urothopsis deposited at the Muséum National d’ Histoire Naturelle, Paris. An examination of Pseudurothoe benthedii Ledoyer, 1986 and Urothopsis brevicaudata Ledoyer, 1967 , and a comparison with the detailed figures and descriptions of other Urothoidae led to a discussion of the relationship between these genera and Phoxocephalopsidae . Antenna 1 is not geniculate between articles 2 and 3, antenna 2 has the peduncular article 4 much expanded ( Phoxocephalopsidae form) and the rami of uropod 1 are styliform (curved) and naked. Taking this into account, we moved Pseudurothoe and Urothopsis to Phoxocephalopsidae .

Key to genera of Phoxocephalopsidae

1. Uropod 2 uniramous ...................................................... Urothopsis Ledoyer, 1967 Uropod 2 biramous ............................................................................................. 2

2. Antenna 2 peduncle article 4 strongly nasiform ........ Pseudurothoe Ledoyer, 1986 Antenna 2 peduncle article 4 not nasiform ......................................................... 3

3. Rami of uropod 1 with apical nail ................ Eophoxocephalopsis Thurston, 1989 Rami of uropod 1 without apical nail ................................................................. 4

4. Epimeral plate 2 strongly or weakly dominating epimeral plate 3 ......................... ...................................................................... Phoxocephalopsis Schellenberg, 1931 Epimeral plate 3 equal to or larger than epimeral plate 2 ..................................... ........................................................................... Puelche Barnard and Clark, 1982