LANCEOLOIDEA Bowman & Gruner, 1973

Zeidler, Wolfgang, 2009, A review of the hyperiidean amphipod superfamily Lanceoloidea Bowman & Gruner, 1973 (Crustacea: Amphipoda: Hyperiidea), Zootaxa 2000, pp. 1-117 : 8-9

Superfamily LANCEOLOIDEA Bowman & Gruner, 1973

Diagnosis. Sexual dimorphism of pereon not pronounced. Antennae 1 relatively short in both sexes (except Metalanceola , Microphasmidae and Mimonecteolidae fam. nov.). Eyes usually very small or absent or, in Scypholanceola , modified into two large, cup-shaped reflector organs on either side of head. Mandibles with broad incisor with large tooth adjacent to incisor (except Prolanceola ); left with reduced lacinia mobilis (except Megalanceola , Megalanceoloides gen. nov., Prolanceola and Chuneola ); palp strong (absent in Chuneola ), with third article shorter than first two combined (except Prolanceola and Megalanceoloides gen. nov.). Pereopods 6 & 7 (and sometimes also other pereopods, especially P5) usually with retractile and hooded dactyls (simple in Microphasmidae and Mimonecteolidae fam. nov.).

Seven families: Lanceolidae , Chuneolidae , Microphasmidae , Prolanceolidae fam. nov., Metalanceolidae fam. nov., Megalanceolidae fam. nov. and Mimonecteolidae fam. nov.

Remarks. The superfamily Lanceoloidea was proposed by Bowman and Gruner (1973) to replace the old subtribe name Lanceoliformata, proposed by Stephensen and Pirlot (1931), to encompass the families

Lanceolidae , Chuneolidae and Microphasmidae . Although this group is united by a combination of several characters as in the diagnosis above, it is a morphologically diverse group, with some members sharing some characters with the other two superfamilies in the infraorder Physosomata .

It differs primarily from the Archaeoscinoidea in lacking the extreme sexual dimorphism of the pereon, in having a relatively broad mandibular incisor and that the third article of the mandibular palp is shorter than the first two combined (except Prolanceola and Megalanceoloides gen. nov.).

According to Vinogradov et al. (1982), lanceolids are parasitoids of deepwater coelenterates. The long, retractile dactyls of many species enabling firm attachment to a gelatinous host.