Hemiarthrinae Markham, 1972

DIAGNOSIS: Female: Body highly distorted. Head deeply embedded into pereon. Pereomeres only distinct on short side. Brood pouch closed, covering entire ventral and lateral side of body. Seven pairs of pereopods usually present on short side. Pleomeres with variable degree of fusion, first four pairs of pleopods with lateral plates. Uropods present.

Male: Pereon segments distinct, without midventral tubercles. Pleon fused, without any pleopods or uropods.

REMARKS: Most of the 55 species, in 27 genera, placed in Hemiarthrinae are ventral abdominal parasites of caridean shrimps (although a few species infest caridean hosts dorsoventrally or in the region of the mouthparts). Previously, only five species from Chinese waters were reported, all from Hong Kong (Markham, 1982; 1990).