PORT PHILLIP BAY


Sand Skater 

Serolina minuta (Beddard, 1884)

View scientific description and taxonomy

Scientific Details

Head with pronounced posteriorly-directed triangular lobe and broad lateral lobes on posterior margin. Eye oval, with slight posterior eave. Pereonites 1-5 and pleonites 1-3 each with narrow erect mid-dorsal crest, extending as conical tubercles especially on pereonite 3 and pleonite 3, crest most elongate on pleonite 1. Pereonites 2-6 with lateral crests overlapping each posterior margin; narrow on pereonites 2-4, smaller and triangular on pereonite 5, broadly-based and flat on pereonite 6. Pleotelson triangular, little wider than long, lateral margin straight, apex acute; with sharp crest in midline, more prominent anteriorly.

Source: Poore, G.C.B. (1987) Serolina, a new genus for Serolis minuta Beddard (Crustacea: Isopoda: Serolidae) with descriptions of eight new species from Australia. Memoirs of the National Museum of Victoria, 48, 141-189.

Taxonomy

Phylum:
Arthropoda
Subphylum:
Crustacea
Class:
Malacostraca
Subclass:
Eumalacostraca
Superorder:
Peracarida
Order:
Isopoda
Suborder:
Sphaeromatidea
Superfamily:
Seroloidea
Family:
Serolidae
Genus:
Serolina
Species:
minuta

General Description

Body very flat and round, head inset into the first body segment with a pair of kidney shaped eyes on top. Body with prominent lateral lobes on pereonite 6. The first legs are a pair of solid claws. Up to 7 mm long.

Biology

Serolina minuta was described from specimens collected from Bass Strait, off the entrance to Port Phillip Bay in 1874 by the "Challenger" expedition. Sand skaters use their discoid shape and camouflage to swim and walk about invisibly on the surface of sand in marine environments. They feed on the organic matter found in the sand.

Habitat

Subtidal sand and mud, 15-122 m depth.

Reefs

Distribution guide

Southern temperate oceans, including south-eastern Australia.

Species Group

Microcrustaceans › Isopods

Depth

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

Water Column

On or near sea floor

Max Size

7 mm

Diet

Organic matter

Commercial Species

No

Global Dispersal

Native to Australia

Species Code

MoV 239

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, Sand Skater, Serolina minuta, in Taxonomic Toolkit for marine life of Port Phillip Bay, Museum Victoria, accessed 25 Feb 2025, http://136.154.202.208:8098/species/5345

Text: creative commons cc by licence