PORT PHILLIP BAY


Comma Shrimp 

Gynodiastylis pygmaeoinsolitaseta Gerken, 2001

View scientific description and taxonomy

Scientific Details

Adult female and subadult male. Carapace smooth and unornamented. Eyelobe with 2 lenses. Pereopod 1 propodus less than half carpus length. Pereopod 2 without fine hairlike setae. Pereopods 3?5 dactylus and terminal seta unmodified. Telson shorter than uropod peduncles, lateral margins thickly lined with fine hairlike setae, and with 1 pair stout terminal setae. Uropod rami without fine hairlike setae. Uropod endopod triarticulate, longer than exopod. Uropod terminal setae complex, microserrate distally with long setules, tip expanded into disk covered with bristles, with single very long subterminal setule. Body length 2.0?2.4 mm.

Adult male. As in female, except with exopods on maxilliped 3?pereopod 4. Telson without fine hairlike setae on lateral margin. Body length 2.8 mm.

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:
Gynodiastylis
Species:
pygmaeoinsolitaseta

General Description

Carapace smooth, not covered with setae. Pseudorostral lobes without carinae. Uropod rami shorter than uropod peduncle; uropod endopod triarticulate in both sexes. Body length females up to 2.4 mm, males up to 2.8 mm.

Biology

Gynodiastylis pygmaeoinsolitaseta is named from a combination of Latin terms that describe the animal: pygmaeus, meaning dwarf, insolitus, meaning unusual or odd and setus in reference to the setae (hairs) on the tail fan.

Habitat

Soft bottoms, at depths of 2-188 m.

Soft substrates

Distribution guide

Southern temperate oceans, including south-eastern Australia.

Species Group

Microcrustaceans › Cumaceans

Depth

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

Water Column

On or near sea floor

Max Size

3 mm

Diet

Organic matter

Commercial Species

No

Global Dispersal

Native to Australia

Species Code

MoV 89

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, Gynodiastylis pygmaeoinsolitaseta, in Taxonomic Toolkit for marine life of Port Phillip Bay, Museum Victoria, accessed 27 Jun 2025, http://136.154.202.208:8098/species/5289

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