Family HEMISQUILLIDAE Manning, 1980
- Hemisquillidae Manning, R.B. 1980. The superfamilies, families, and genera of recent stomatopod Crustacea, with diagnoses of six new families. Proceedings of the Biological Society of Washington 93(2): 362-372 [366, 369].
Type genus:
Hemisquilla Hansen, 1895.
Introduction
Manning (1980) recognised this family for a single genus, Hemisquilla. Species of Hemisquilla are 'smashers', but unlike gonodactylids and takuids, occur only in temperate waters and occupy soft substrates in which they construct burrows.
Diagnosis
Eye with cornea subglobular to subcuboid, set obliquely on stalk. Cornea with six rows of rectangular ommatidia in the midband. Protopod of antenna with flattened, articulated plate dorsally. Rostral plate triangular. Maxillipeds three and four with propodi ovate, not ribbed or beaded ventrally; body subcylindrical, articulation compact. Raptorial claw with ischiomeral articulation terminal; dactylus unarmed, with outer basal margin inflated; propodus opposable margin with two movable spines proximally. Abdominal somites one to five each with marginal carina only; somite six with dorsal carinae unarmed. Telson with distinct median carina and anterior submedian carina in addition to carinae of primary teeth; submedian teeth with movable apices; submedian denticles present in adults. Uropodal protopod terminating in a single primary spine; outer margin with strongly convex lobe with at most a minute outer spine; articulation of exopod segments terminal; outer margin of proximal segment of exopod with straight movable spines.
General References
Manning, R.B. 1980. The superfamilies, families, and genera of recent stomatopod Crustacea, with diagnoses of six new families. Proceedings of the Biological Society of Washington 93(2): 362-372