PORT PHILLIP BAY


Opossum Shrimp 

Haplostylus dakini (Tattersall, 1940)

View scientific description and taxonomy

Scientific Details

Eyes stalked, with visual elements, ommatidia not divided into separate regions, spine at anterodistal corner of eye stalk absent; rostrum present, triangular, acute. Antenna 2 scale length 2:1 to 5:1 x width, shorter than antenna 1 peduncle, lateral margins without setae, without spines, medial margins without spines, distal margin rounded, distal spine present, apical suture absent, spine on outer distal corner absent. Pleopods 1-4 biramous. Pleopod 3 endopod shorter than exopod. Pleopod 4 endopod with a single article, endopod shorter than exopod; exopod with 4 articles, second last article subequal to third last article. Uropod endopod diaresis absent, robust setae present, 6 setae from statocyst nearly to the apex of medial margin, slender setae present, endopod and exopod subequal in length; exopod diaresis absent, 14 robust setae present, slender setae absent on lateral margin. Telson longer than broad, distally acute or subacute, cleft or notched less than 20%, without plumose setae, robust setae present along entire inner and outer margins.

Source: Yerman, M. & J.K. Lowry, 2007. Australian Mysidacea. Version 1 March 2007. http://www.crustacea.net.

Taxonomy

Phylum:
Arthropoda
Subphylum:
Crustacea
Class:
Malacostraca
Subclass:
Eumalacostraca
Superorder:
Peracarida
Order:
Mysida
Family:
Mysidae
Subfamily:
Gastrosaccinae
Genus:
Haplostylus
Species:
dakini

General Description

Rostrum triangular, acute. Stalked eyes, carapace covering the head and most of the thorax. Antenna 2 apical suture absent. Antenna 2 scale lateral margins without setae. Uropod exopod slender setae absent on lateral margin. Abdomen long, ending in a tail fan bearing pair of statocysts. Lateral edge of telson armed with spines. Up to 1.5 cm long.

Biology

Opossum shrimps are so-called because they carry their eggs and young in a marsupium-like pouch. The young which hatch from it are miniatures of the adults. The legs are more adapted for swimming than walking and each has two branches. The tail fan has a pair of statocysts, cavities containing a floating particle and acting as a balancing organ in much the way the cochlea does in the human ear.

Habitat

Shallow water and seagrass beds, to depths of 12 m.

Seagrass meadows

Coastal shores

Distribution guide

Southern temperate oceans, including south-eastern Australia.

Species Group

Prawns, shrimps, lobsters › Mysids

Depth

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

Water Column

On or near sea floor Midwater

Max Size

15 mm

Diet

Plankton or Particles

Commercial Species

No

Global Dispersal

Native to Australia

Species Code

MoV 1013

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, Opossum Shrimp, Haplostylus dakini, in Taxonomic Toolkit for marine life of Port Phillip Bay, Museum Victoria, accessed 25 Feb 2025, http://136.154.202.208:8098/species/5541

Text: creative commons cc by licence