PORT PHILLIP BAY

Sea Centipede

Enlarge image of Sea Centipede

Sea Centipede

Haliophasma cribense Poore, 1975

Taxonomy

Arthropoda : Malacostraca : Isopoda : Anthuridae

View scientific description and taxonomy

Scientific Details

Head wider than long, narrowing anteriorly, strongly pitted dorsally and laterally; rostrum very broad, bluntly rounded, little longer than anterolateral lobes; cheek definitely angular anteriorIy; eyes dark. Pereon with strong dorsolateral grooves complicated by some small pits, extensively pitted dorsally and laterally. Pereonite 1 with obsoletely biblobed ventral keel, not produced anteriorIy.

Pereonites 4-6 with transverse step between major part of dorsal surface and lower anterior area; dorsal pit reduced to a small keyhole-shaped notch at midpoint of this step. Pleonites 1-5 with small epimera, dorsolateral groove distinct, complicated by pits and not extending back to posterior margin; pitted laterally but free of pits mid-dorsally. Pleonite 6 fused with telson at midpoint. Telson thick; a low median carina along whole length but most prominent proximally, and smooth dorsolateral ridges on distal half, pitted dorsally between the 3 ridges and laterally; narrowly rounded terminally. Uropod peduncle with medial lobe square posteriorly; endopod not reaching to end of telson, bluntly rounded with scalloped lateral margin and concave medial margin; exopod with sinuous margin, folding alongside telson and not exceeding it dorsally, little longer than peduncle.

Antenna 2, article 2 short, dorsal flange subtriangular, much less than half width of front of head; flagellum of 6 articles, shorter than peduncle article 5. Mandible with prominent molar bearing sharp accessory tooth; palp reaching beyond incisor, article 2 the longest with a single long subterminal seta, article 3 narrow, curved, with transverse row of 4 setae. Maxilla narrow, sharply curved end; 5 hooks and 2 spines. Maxilliped articles 2, 3 broad, laterally produced; article 3 rounded terminally, 4 short setae on medial margin, ventral face with 2 proximal setae, near distal suture and 1 near outer distal edge; article 4 small, ovoid, subterminal, scarcely exceeding end of 3, with 6 setae. Pereopod 1 with straight, blade-like palm on axis of limb, few medial setae and 1-2 laterally near palm edge; unguis 0.25 length of dactylus.

Source: Poore, G.C.B. (1975) Australian species of Haliophasma (Crustacea: Isopoda: Anthuridae). Records of the Australian Museum, 29, 503-533.

Taxonomy

Phylum:: Arthropoda
Subphylum:: Crustacea
Class:: Malacostraca
Subclass:: Eumalacostraca
Superorder:: Peracarida
Order:: Isopoda
Suborder:: Cymothoida
Superfamily:: Anthuroidea
Family:: Anthuridae
Genus:: Haliophasma
Species:: cribense

General Description

Head wider than long; rostrum broad, rounded-truncate, longer than anterolateral lobes. Pereon with dorsolateral grooves and few pits dorsally, separated by deep pitted grooves. Palm of first leg on axis of limb.

Biology

This isopod is an active predator that uses its hook-like hands to grasp its prey and its biting mouthparts to make a meal of it. Males have longer antennae and larger eyes than juveniles or females and can swim in search of mates. The Anthuridae and similar families are common and diverse on sandy and muddy sediments and can build tubes.

Habitat

Fine sand-mud sediment, from depths of 8-140 m

Reefs

Distribution guide

Southern Australia.

Species Group

Microcrustaceans › Isopods

Depth

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

Water Column

On or near sea floor

Max Size

16 mm

Diet

Organic matter

Commercial Species

No

Global Dispersal

Recorded in Australia

Species Code

MoV 353

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.

Cite this page as:
Taylor, J. & Poore, G.C.B., 2011, Sea Centipede, Haliophasma cribense, in Taxonomic Toolkit for marine life of Port Phillip Bay, Museum Victoria, accessed 08 Jul 2025, http://136.154.202.208:8098/species/5299

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