Apseudinae Leach, 1814

Błażewicz-Paszkowycz, M. & Bamber, R. N., 2007, New apseudomorph tanaidaceans (Crustacea: Peracarida: Tanaidacea) from eastern Australia: Apseudidae, Whiteleggiidae, Metapseudidae and Pagurapseudidae, Memoirs of Museum Victoria 64, pp. 107-148 : 111

Subfamily Apseudinae Leach, 1814

Remarks. The genus Apseudes has long been used as a convenient taxon in which to describe symmetrical, dorsoventrally-flattened apseudomorphs of a “standard” morphology with a spiniform apophysis on the coxa of pereopod-1, largely as it was the first apseudomorph genus to be named, preceding the next ( Parapseudes Sars, 1882 and Sphyrapus Sars, 1882 ) by 68 years. It has long been recognised that Apseudes sensu lato is polyphyletic, and since 1970 a number of the (then) 60-odd species which accord with the above definition has been split off into new genera such as Fageapseudes Băcescu and Guţu, 1971 , Tuberapseudes Băcescu and Guţu, 1971 , Atlantapseudes Băcescu 1978 , Langapseudes Băcescu 1987 , and Hoplomachus Guţu, 2002 . Guţu (2006) has recently undertaken a useful reanalysis of the formerly polyphyletic genus, restricting Apseudes and resurrecting Apseudopsis Norman, 1899 , inter alia, affording a valuable basis from which, in Guţu’s own words, a more minute revision will be enabled in the future (for example by multivariate analysis).

With the discovery in the present material of 4 species of Apseudinae , their morphology has been compared with 58 specific taxa (as alluded to above) using a dataset based on 21 morphological features (where available), in an attempt to base generic diagnoses on overall morphology rather than biasing classification to that of individual characters (“Characters come from the genus, not the genus from the characters”: Linné, 1751). Having said that, the 1st taxon below shows sufficient distinction in 1 major character to support its separation to a new genus.