ANAPRONOIDAE Bowman & Gruner, 1973

Zeidler, Wolfgang, 2016, A review of the families and genera of the superfamily PLATYSCELOIDEA Bowman & Gruner, 1973 (Crustacea: Amphipoda: Hyperiidea), together with keys to the families, genera and species, Zootaxa 4192 (1), pp. 1-136 : 56

Family ANAPRONOIDAE Bowman & Gruner, 1973

Diagnosis. Body length up to 8 mm, relatively plump, not laterally compressed. Head globular, as long as first 3–4 pereonites, with small ‘beak’ between antennae 1. Eyes large, occupying most of head surface. Coxae separate from pereonites. Antennae 1 of females with 3-articulate peduncle, first peduncular article the largest; flagellum of three slender articles; callynophore not enlarged. Antennae 1 of males with 3-articulate peduncle; first flagellar article (callynophore), enlarged, curved, with single brush of aesthetascs along posterior margin and three smaller, slender articles inserted on antero-distal corner. Antennae 2 of both sexes held in diagonal groove across ventral surface of head; of females of four slender articles, and one small terminal article; of males with three slender articles folded back on one another (the third slightly longer than the preceding two which are sub-equal in length), followed by three smaller articles that are not folded, together at about right angles to previous articles, directed towards head. Mouthparts all styliform. Mandibles with 3-articulate palp in males, absent in females. Maxillae 1 reduced to small lobes, with four bifid teeth distally on medial margin. Maxillae 2 reduced in size, bi-lobed, with two robust setae terminally on each lobe. Gnathopod 1 sub-chelate; gnathopod 2 chelate; basis of both very broad. Pereopod 5 the longest with relatively broad basis. Pereopod 6 with broad basis but not operculate, distal articles inserted sub-terminally, together slightly shorter than basis. Pereopod 7 reduced in size, with full complement of articles; basis slightly shorter than remaining articles combined. Uropoda all with articulated endopoda and exopoda. Telson triangular, rounded terminally, reaching limit of U3, not fused with double urosomite. Gills with folds on pereonites 2–6. Oostegites on pereonites 2–5.

Genera. Anapronoe Stephensen, 1925 .

Remarks. The orientation of the antennae, especially antennae 2 of the male, is unique amongst the suborder Hyperiidea, justifying the establishment of the family Anapronoidae by Bowman and Gruner (1973). In the morphology of the antennae, females resemble those of the families Platyscelidae and Parascelidae , but differ in many other respects.

Zeidler (1997b) revised this family, describing a new species, and corrected some errors made by previous authors, particularly in relation to the antennae and mandibular palp of males.