Phreatogammaridae Bousfield, 1983

Myers, A, 2013, A Phylogeny and Classification of the Senticaudata subord. nov. (Crustacea: Amphipoda), Zootaxa 3610 (1), pp. 1-80 : 62-63

Phreatogammaridae Bousfield, 1983

Type genus. Phreatogammarus Stebbing, 1899 b.

Diagnostic description. Body subcylindrical or vermiform. Eyes well developed or absent, if present then round. Antennae 1–2 calceoli absent. Antenna 1 longer than antenna 2; peduncular article 1 subequal to, or longer than article 2; article 2 longer than article 3; article 3 shorter than article 1; peduncular articles 1–2 not geniculate; accessory flagellum short or minute. Antenna 2 peduncular article 1 enlarged, bulbous. Mandible molar triturating; palp symmetrical. Maxilla 1 basal endite setose along medial margin; palps symmetrical. Maxilla 2 basal endite with oblique setal row. Labium inner lobes vestigial or absent. Coxal gills on pereopods 2–6, stalked (with proximal restriction or complete suture); sternal gills present or sternal gills absent, simple; sternal blisters absent; oostegites fringing setae simple. Gnathopod 1 subchelate; similar or dissimilar in males and females (sexually dimorphic); smaller (or weaker) than or similar in size to gnathopod 2; propodus palm with peg-like robust setae along palmar margin. Gnathopod 2 subchelate; similar in males and females; carpus not produced along posterior margin of propodus, projecting between merus and propodus. Pereopods 3–4 not sexually dimorphic. Pereopod 4 with well developed posteroventral lobe. Pereopod 5 shorter than pereopod 6; coxa with small anteroventral lobe or without lobes. Pereopod 7 longer than pereopod 5. Pleonites 1–3 without dorsal carinae. Urosomites 1–3 free; with slender or robust dorsal setae. Urosomite 1 without large distoventral robust seta. Urosomite 2 with multiple small robust setae across the somite. Uropod 1 with 1 or 2 basofacial robust setae or without basofacial robust setae. Uropod 3 not sexually dimorphic; biramous, without plumose setae; endopod subequal in length to exopod. Telson deeply cleft ; dorsal or lateral robust setae present or absent; apical robust setae present.

Habitat. Freshwater or brackish, epigean.

Included genera. Caledonietta Iannilli & Ruffo, 2007 ; Phreatogammarus Stebbing, 1899 b; Ruffia Bréhier, Vonk & Jaume, 2010 .

Remarks. Bousfield (1982a) used the family name Phreatogammaridae without a diagnosis or type species designation. Bousfield (1983: 268, 274) referred to the family name with formal diagnosis and included genera. Since then it has been listed by Barnard & Karaman (1991: 4) incorrectly attributing authorship to Bousfield (1982d); to Bousfield & Shih (1994: 128, table 3) without authorship attribution and to Martin & Davis (2001: 67) with authorship attributed to Bousfield, 1982, but three Bousfield (1982) papers are cited in the references). More recently Chapman (2003) attributed authorship to Bousfield (1982), but no citation in references and Chapman (2004) also attributed authorship to Bousfield (1982), but cited reference as Bousfield (1983)) and Bréhier, Vonk & Jaume, 2010: 504 attributed authorship of the Phreatogammaridae to Bousfield (1982a). In our opinion the name Phreatogammaridae of Bousfield (1982a) is a nomen nudum. Although Bousfield (1983) did not specifically designate Phreatogammaridae as a new family he provided a diagnosis, a type genus and included genus. We therefore attribute authorship of the family to Bousfield (1983).

Distribution. New Caledonia, New Zealand, southern South America.