PROLANCEOLIDAE, Zeidler, 2009

Zeidler, Wolfgang, 2009, A review of the hyperiidean amphipod superfamily Lanceoloidea Bowman & Gruner, 1973 (Crustacea: Amphipoda: Hyperiidea), Zootaxa 2000, pp. 1-117 : 65

Family PROLANCEOLIDAE , new family

Diagnosis. Body length up to 14 mm; pereon not inflated. Head without distinct rostrum. Eyes consist of chain of five ocelli on either side of head. Pereonites all separate. Coxae separate from pereonites. Antennae 1 with stout callynophore, peduncle 3-articulate. Antennae 2 longer than A1. Mandibles with strong palp, length almost 1.5x body length of mandible; third article of palp longer than first and second combined; left with broad lacinia mobilis. Maxillae 1 with broad palp, armed with few setae distally; outer lobe relatively slender, with five strong setae distally; inner lobe rounded, armed with numerous fine setae. Maxillae 2 with relatively broad lobes, the inner slightly shorter than outer one; both armed with row of strong setae together with more slender ones on inner and distal margin. Maxilliped with semicircular outer lobes, with row of fine setae along inner margin, slightly overlapping each other; inner lobes rounded, length 0.4x outer lobes, separate to base, not projected laterally from outer lobes as in other lanceolids. Gnathopod 1 subchelate, with distally expanded carpus and propodus. Gnathopod 2 simple, a little longer and more slender than G1. Pereopods 3–7 simple. Pereopods 6 & 7 with small retractile dactyls, without spoon-shaped process. Urosomite 2–3 with partial suture ventrally. Uropoda relatively broad (except first), with articulated exopoda and endopoda. Telson slightly longer than peduncle of U3, very elongate with pointed apex. Gills on pereonites 2–6. Oostegites on pereonites 2–5.

One genus: Prolanceola .

Remarks. This new family is proposed here to accommodate Prolanceola which, prior to this study, was placed in the family Lanceolidae . Woltereck (1907) regarded Prolanceola to be a link between the families Vibiliidae and Lanceolidae and later (1909) he placed it in the Lanceolidae , presumably based on the retractile dactyls of pereopods 6 & 7. However, this placement is not satisfactory because Prolanceola possesses several unique characters that distinguish it from all other families of Hyperiidea . The chelate first gnathopoda and the structure of the eyes and mouthparts, especially the mandibles and second maxillae are particularly distinctive characters that distinguish Prolanceola and the family Prolanceolidae . It resembles Vibilia in the general habitus and also the arrangement of the ocelli of the eyes is similar to that of V. australis Stebbing, 1888 and V. elongata Shih & Hendrycks, 2003 , although in P. vibiliformis the ocelli appear to be sub-cuticular. In having a mandibular palp with the third article longer than the first and second combined it resembles the family Archaeoscinidae and M. remipes ( Megalanceolidae fam. nov.), but the palp is relatively shorter and less robust and the body of the mandible is rectangular and not as narrowed distally. The manner in which the dactyls are inserted on pereopods 6 & 7 is also similar to that found in M. remipes but unlike most other lanceolids.