PORT PHILLIP BAY


Southern Chaetiliid 

Austrochaetilia capeli Poore, 1978

View scientific description and taxonomy

Scientific Details

Head laterally expanded, its posterior part immersed in first pereonite. Eyes lateral, week. First antennae larger than or almost as large as second antennae, with single or two-segmented flagellum. Coxal plates marked off dorsally only on last three pereonites. Maxillipeds with four-segmented palp. Pereopods 1-3 subchelate but article 6 not swollen. Pereopods 4-7 not especially long, dactyls present. Remaining pereopods may have the dactyl absent or reduced to a very short spine. Pleon of 3 free sornites, plus pleotelson. Uropods biramous.

Source: Poore, G.C.B. (1978) Austrochaetilia capeli, a new genus and species of chaetiline idoteid (Isopoda) from Port Phillip Bay, Australia. Crustaceana, 33, 113-118.

Taxonomy

Phylum:
Arthropoda
Subphylum:
Crustacea
Class:
Malacostraca
Subclass:
Eumalacostraca
Superorder:
Peracarida
Order:
Isopoda
Suborder:
Valvifera
Family:
Chaetiliidae
Genus:
Austrochaetilia
Species:
capeli

General Description

White body tapers to an acute pleotelson and has sculptured rows of knobs. The uropods are underneath and enclose the gills. The eyes are weak black spots on the broad head. Up to 11 mm long.

Biology

The southern chaetiliid lives on the surface of sand between 4 and 100 m depth in southern Port Phillip Bay and Bass Strait. Nothing is known of the biology of this species. It belongs to one of the valviferan families (like Idoteidae and Arcturidae) whose uropods form a chamber enclosing the fragile gills. Like many crustaceans living in course sands the legs are very spiny.

Habitat

Intertidal sediments, depths of 4-100 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

11 mm

Diet

Organic matter

Commercial Species

No

Global Dispersal

Native to Australia

Species Code

MoV 1680

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, Southern Chaetiliid, Austrochaetilia capeli, in Taxonomic Toolkit for marine life of Port Phillip Bay, Museum Victoria, accessed 24 Nov 2024, http://136.154.202.208:8098/species/5306

Text: creative commons cc by licence