CALLIANASSINAE Dana, 1852

Ngoc-Ho, Nguyen, 2003, European and Mediterranean Thalassinidea (Crustacea, Decapoda), Zoosystema 25 (3), pp. 439-555 : 465

Subfamily CALLIANASSINAE Dana, 1852

TYPE GENUS. — Callianassa Leach, 1814 , subsequent designation by Manning & Felder (1991).

REMARKS

Four major works on the Callianassidae and Ctenochelidae of the Callianassoidea have been published recently: Manning & Felder (1991), Poore (1994, as part of a phylogeny of the Thalassinidea ), Sakai (1999a), Tudge et al. (2000), the latter with a cladistic analysis. Various classification systems have been proposed sometimes with large differences. Reexamination of materials has been necessary and choices have been made concerning the taxonomy of European Callianassidae and Ctenochelidae .

This work uses the familial and subfamilial divisions proposed by Tudge et al. (2000) and adopts the alternative suggested by these authors which is to provisionally leave the genus Callianassa as a polyphyletic group. The diagnosis of Callianassa s.l. is given below.

The species Callianassa acanthura Caroli, 1946 , Callianassa truncata Giard & Bonnier, 1890 and Necallianassa berylae Heard & Manning, 1998 were placed by Heard & Manning (1998) in the new genus Necallianassa on the ground of lateral spines on the telson and the uropodal endopod. These spines are however much smaller in C. truncata ( Fig. 11D ) than in the other two species ( Fig. 8G ). Furthermore, Necallianassa berylae has a large rostral spine which is absent in the other two species, and in both C. truncata ( Fig. 11I ) and N. berylae , female Plp2 bears a distal appendix interna on the endopod and lacks it in C. acanthura ( Fig. 8O ). The latter character is regarded as of generic importance.

In summary, Necallianassa berylae , the type species, possesses a large rostral spine, large acute lateral spines on the telson and uropods and an appendix interna on female Plp2.

C. acanthura differs by having no rostral spine, no appendix interna on female Plp2.

C. truncata differs by having no rostral spine, no large acute spines on the telson and uropods.

Although Sakai (1999a: 128) synonymised Necallianassa with Callianassa , this genus can be diagnosed using the characters mentioned above for the type species. But the inclusion of C. acanthura and C. truncata does not seem justified. Both species are reassigned to the genus Callianassa s.l.

The species Callianassa candida ( Olivi, 1792) , C. tyrrhena ( Petagna, 1792) and C. whitei Sakai, 1999 and two others from the eastern Atlantic are separated into a new genus, Pestarella n. gen.

Figures

FIG. 11. — Callianassa truncata Giard & Bonnier, 1890; A, from Morocco, anterior part of carapace (from de Saint Laurent & Božić 1976); B-M, from Chingoudy Bay, France (MNHN Th 653); B-G, J-M,; H, I; B, C, minor and major pereopod 1; D, telson and uropods; E, pereopod 3; F, mandible; G, maxillule; H, I, female pleopod 1 and 2; J, K, maxilliped 3 and mesial view of ischium, merus; L, male pleopod 1; M, pleopod 3. Scale bars: 1 mm.

FIG. 8. — Callianassa acanthura Caroli, 1946; A-D, F, G, M, lectotype, from Naples, Italy (RMNH D 15212 a); E, H-L, from Pogonia, Greece (MNHN Th 1400); N, O, from Zirje island, Croatia (NHMW 15372); A, anterior part of carapace; B, C, major pereopod 1 and merus in mesial view; D, minor pereopod 1; E, appendix interna on mesial border of pleopod 3; F, pereopod 3; G, telson and uropods; H, maxilliped 1; I, J, maxilliped 3, mesial and lateral view; K, mandible; L, maxillule; M, male pleopod 1; N, O, female pleopod 1 and 2. Scale bars: A-J, M-O, 2 mm; K, L, 1 mm.