PORT PHILLIP BAY


Comma Shrimp 

Dicoides fletti Hale, 1946

View scientific description and taxonomy

Scientific Details

Female and subadult male. Pseudorostrum weakly dorsally directed, bearing several setae. Eyelobe without lenses. Siphon short. Pereopod 1 more than twice carapace length, carpus and propodus bearing many setae (density of setae varies considerably). Telson shorter than uropod peduncles. Uropod endopod longer than exopod.

Adult male. Pseudorostrum horizontal, without setae. Pereopod 1 much longer than carapace, carpus and propodus bearing several to many setae. Exopods present on maxilliped 3?pereopod 4. Uropod endopod triarticulate, longer than exopod.

Source: Gerken, S. (2001) The Gynodiastylidae (Crustacea: Cumacea). Memoirs of the Museum of Victoria, 59, 1-276.

Taxonomy

Phylum:
Arthropoda
Subphylum:
Crustacea
Class:
Malacostraca
Subclass:
Eumalacostraca
Superorder:
Peracarida
Order:
Cumacea
Family:
Gynodiastylidae
Genus:
Dicoides
Species:
fletti

General Description

Carapace with shallow lateral depression and dorsolateral horizontal elongate tumidity. Pereopod 1 with many setae on carpus, propodus, and dactyl. Siphon less than 0.5 carapace length. Telson shorter than uropod peduncles. Body length females up to 5.4 mm, males up 4.6 mm.

Biology

It has been suggested that due to the large range of morphological variability observed in Dicoides fletti, it may infact be more than one cryptic species.

Habitat

Soft bottom from sand, silt, mud and clay, in depths up to 363 m.

Soft substrates

Distribution guide

Southern temperate oceans, including south-eastern Australia.

Species Group

Microcrustaceans › Cumaceans

Depth

Shore (0-1 m)
Shallow (1-30 m)
Deep ( > 30 m)

Water Column

On or near sea floor

Max Size

5.5 mm

Diet

Organic matter

Commercial Species

No

Global Dispersal

Native to Australia

Species Code

MoV 51

Conservation Status

  • DSE Advisory List : Not listed
  • EPBC Act 1999 : Not listed
  • IUCN Red List : Not listed

Author

article author Taylor, J.

Dr. Jo Taylor is the Sciences Collections Online Coordinator at Museum Victoria.

Author

article author Poore, G.C.B.

Dr. Gary Poore is Principal Curator Emeritus at Museum Victoria.

citation

Cite this page as:
Taylor, J. & Poore, G.C.B., 2011, Comma Shrimp, Dicoides fletti, in Taxonomic Toolkit for marine life of Port Phillip Bay, Museum Victoria, accessed 27 Jun 2025, http://136.154.202.208:8098/species/5286

Text: creative commons cc by licence