PORT PHILLIP BAY


Sea Centipede 

Haliophasma cycneum Poore, 1975

View scientific description and taxonomy

Scientific Details

Head a little longer than wide, narrowing anteriorly, without pits; rostrum short, rounded, about equal to prominent anterolateral lobes; cheek deep, square anterior corner; eyes dark. Pereon with distinct, simple dorsolateral grooves, smooth except for few small pits laterally. Pereonite 1 without a ventral keel, 2 acute corners on posterior margin of dorsum. Pereonites 4-7 with a strong transverse groove anteriorly and oval dorsal pit on 4-6. Pleonites 1-5 with minute epimera, smooth except for a few pits in place of dorsolateral grooves. Pleonite 6 distinct from telson. Telson thick; smoothly curved dorsally, gently tapering to a broadly rounded end. Uropod peduncle not lobed medially but produced mediodistally; endopod as wide as peduncle, ovate not reaching to end of telson; exopods folding over telson to almost meet, produced to an acute point beyond end of peduncle.

Antenna 2, article 2 long, dorsal flange narrow, less than half width of front of head; flagellum of 5 articles, longer than peduncle article 5. Mandible with prominent molar, dominated by a large accessory tooth; palp reaching well beyond incisor, article 2 with 1 subterminal seta, article 3 narrow, curved with 3 terminal setae. Maxilla narrow, gently curved end; 5 hooks and 2 spines. Maxilliped articles 2, 3 broad, laterally produced; article 3 end rounded medially, 3 setae on medial margin, ventral face with 1 seta near distal suture; article 4 subterminal, reaching as far as end of 3, with 4 setae. Pereopod 1 with strongly convex blade-like palm, very few medial or lateral setae; 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:
cycneum

General Description

Head a little longer than wide; rostrum short, rounded, about equal to prominent anterolateral lobes. Pereopod 1 palm strongly convex. Pereon and pleon weakly or not pitted laterally and dorsally. Exopod of uropod with sinuous dorsal margin, not cleft; maxilliped article 4 reaching as far as end of article 3. Telson not sculptured or ridged dorsally, a simple dome.

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

Clayey-sand sediment, at depths of 1-140 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

10 mm

Diet

Organic matter

Commercial Species

No

Global Dispersal

Recorded in Australia

Species Code

MoV 966

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, Sea Centipede, Haliophasma cycneum, in Taxonomic Toolkit for marine life of Port Phillip Bay, Museum Victoria, accessed 25 Feb 2025, http://136.154.202.208:8098/species/5300

Text: creative commons cc by licence