Floresorchestiinae

Myers, A. A. & Lowry, J. K., 2020, A phylogeny and classification of the Talitroidea (Amphipoda, Senticaudata) based on interpretation of morphological synapomorphies and homoplasies, Zootaxa 4778 (2), pp. 281-310 : 305-306

Floresorchestiinae subfam. nov.

Type genus. Floresorchestia Bousfield, 1984 .

Included genera (3). Austropacifica Lowry & Springthorpe, 2019a ; Floresorchestia Bousfield, 1984 ; Gazia Lowry & Springthorpe, 2019 .

Category. Mascupods.

Ecological type. Beach-hoppers, field-hoppers, forest-hoppers and riparian-hoppers.

Distribution. Australia and Papua New Guinea; South Africa, East Africa and the Red Sea; Western Indian Ocean; Indonesia and Malaysia; the Pacific Plate and the Caribbean.

Diagnostic description. Antenna 1 short, not reaching midpoint of peduncular article 5 of antenna 2. Maxilliped palp article 2 with distomedial lobe; article 4 reduced, button-shaped or fused to article 3. Gnathopod 1 posterior margin of merus, carpus and propodus each with lobe covered in palmate setae or posterior margin of carpus and propodus each with lobe covered in palmate setae; propodus ‘subtriangular’ with well-developed posterodistal lobe. Gnathopod 2 subchelate. Pereopods 3–7 cuspidactylate. Pereopod 4 dactylus amplidactylate. Pereopod 5 dactylus not inflated. Pereopod 6 subequal in length to pereopod 7. Pereopod 7 not sexually dimorphic. Epimera 1–3 slits present on at least one plate. Uropods 1–2 rami without apical spear-shaped setae. Uropod 1 male exopod not sexually dimorphic; exopod with one long midmedial rod-like seta with sponge-like tip or without marginal robust setae. Uropod 3 ramus subequal in length or shorter than peduncle. With apical and marginal robust setae, with 2 robust setae per lobe or with 3–6 robust setae per lobe or with 7–9 robust setae per lobe.

Remarks. The subfamily, defined by vertical slits on some epimera, is a wide ranging tropical group found in the Indian Ocean, the South Pacific with one species of Floresorchestia in the Caribbean Sea.