PORT PHILLIP BAY


Sea Centipede 

Haliophasma canale Poore, 1975

View scientific description and taxonomy

Scientific Details

Head wider than long, strongly pitted dorsally and laterally; prominent, broad, truncate rostrum greatly exceeding anterolateral lobes; cheek with strongly convex ventral margin; eyes dark. Pereon with strong doroslateral grooves complicated by large pits; 2 pairs of low dorsal carinae separated by a deep median groove; strongly pitted laterally. Pereonite 1 with distinctly bilobed ventral keel, produced anteriorly. Pereonites 4-6 with large, circular dorsal pits obscured by median groove. Pleonites 1-5 without epimera; laterally pitted; dorsally the medial pair of pereon carinae run on to pleon where they are separated by a short central ridge and intervening pits, lateral pair of pereon carinae obsolete. Pleonite 6 not distinct from telson mid-dorsally. Telson thick with broad ventrolateral flanges proximally, median dorsal carina and 2 low dorsolateral ridges meeting anteriorly behind a pair of large pits; broadly rounded terminally. Uropod peduncle medially lobed; endopod not reaching to end of telson, unevenly scalloped lateral edge, medial margin convex; exopod dorsal margin evenly curved, folding alongside telson and not exceeding it dorsally,
shorter than peduncle.

Antenna 2, article 2 short, dorsal flange triangular, much less than half width of front of head; flagellum of 5 al1ticles, subequal to peduncle article 5. Mandible with a short, blunt bilobed molar; palp reaching to about end of incisor, article 2 the longest with a single long subterminal seta, article 3 broad, curved with oblique row of 6 setae. Maxilla elongate, almost straight; 5 hooks,
1 spine. Maxilliped articles 2, 3 narrow, scarcely produced laterally; article 3 truncate terminally, 3 long setae and many fine hairs on medial margin, ventral face with 1 proximal seta, 2 in the mid-area and 1 on distal suture; article 4 small, quite lateral being about its own length from distal end of article 3, bearing 6 setae. Pereopod 1 with slightly sinuous, blade-like palm on axis of limb, few medial setae and few lateral setae near palm edge; unguis 0.5 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:
canale

General Description

Head wider than long; rostrum broad, rounded-truncate, longer than anterolateral lobes. Pereon with 2 pairs of low carinae 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

Clayey-silt sediment, at depths of 3-293 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 338

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 canale, in Taxonomic Toolkit for marine life of Port Phillip Bay, Museum Victoria, accessed 10 Dec 2024, http://136.154.202.208:8098/species/5298

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