PORT PHILLIP BAY


Opossum Shrimp 

Haplostylus robustus (Panampunnayil, 1989)

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, sub-acute, spines on lateral margins absent. 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 present, spine on outer distal corner absent. Labrum with medial process; medial process without setae. Pereopod 3 forming a pereopod, shorter than perepod 4, endopod slender, with carpus and propodus fused and subdivided, terminal brush of setae present. Pleopods 1-4 biramous. Pleopod 2 pseudobranchial rami triangular. 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, 8-9 setae from statocyst nearly to the apex of medial margin, slender setae present or plumose setae present, endopod moderately longer than exopod; exopod diaresis absent, 12-15 robust setae present, slender setae absent on lateral margin. Telson longer than broad, distally truncate, cleft or notched 20-30%, 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:
robustus

General Description

Stalked eyes, carapace covering the head and most of the thorax. Spine at anterodistal corner of eye stalk absent. Antenna 2 scale shorter than antenna 1 peduncle. Uropod endopod moderately longer than exopod with 8-9 robust setae present from statocyst nearly to the apex of medial margin, telson with robust setae along entire outer margins. Abdomen long, ending in a tail fan bearing pair of statocysts. Up to 1.5 cm long.

Biology

Opossum shrimps are so-called because they carry their eggs and young in a marsupium-like pouch. This species was once referred to as Haplostylus tattersalli. Mysids can form large shoals in shallow waters, thus are an abundant food source for both adult and juvenile coastal fish.

Habitat

Shallow water and seagrass beds, to depths of 95 m.

Seagrass meadows

Coastal shores

Distribution guide

South Pacific, west central Pacific, southern temperate oceans including south-eastern Australia.

Species Group

Prawns, shrimps, lobsters › Mysids

Depth

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

Water Column

On or near sea floor Midwater

Max Size

15 mm

Diet

Plankton or Particles

Commercial Species

No

Global Dispersal

Recorded in Australia

Species Code

MoV 616

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 robustus, in Taxonomic Toolkit for marine life of Port Phillip Bay, Museum Victoria, accessed 05 Dec 2024, http://136.154.202.208:8098/species/5542

Text: creative commons cc by licence