Dussartiellidae, Lowry & Myers, 2012

Lowry, J. K. & Myers, A. A., 2012, New, mainly southern hemisphere, freshwater families of Amphipoda (Crustacea), together with a description of the first freshwater calliopiid, Lutriwita bradburyi gen. nov. et sp. nov., Zootaxa 3499, pp. 27-45 : 33-35

Dussartiellidae fam. nov.

Type genus. Dussartiella Ruffo, 1979 . Included genera. Dussartiella Ruffo, 1979 ; Reinhardia Iannilli, Krapp & Ruffo, 2011 .

Diagnostic description. Head eyes absent. Calceoli absent. Antenna 1 longer than antenna 2; peduncular article 1 longer than article 2; accessory flagellum minute. Antenna 2 peduncular article 1 bulbous. Mandible incisor dentate. Labium without inner plates. Maxilla 1 inner plate setose apically; palps dissimilar, left vestigial, right slender with apical slender setae. Maxilla 2 inner plate without oblique setal row. Maxilliped inner plate well developed; outer plate small. Body subcylindrical. Coxal gills present on coxae 2 to 7, stalked, with proximal suture. Sternal gills absent. Gnathopod 1 similar in size and form to gnathopod 2; propodus without robust setae along palmar margin. Pereopod 4 without posteroventral lobe. Pereopods 5–7: progressively longer; basis linear; dactyli with a few subterminal setae. Pereopod 5 coxa with small anteroventral lobe. Urosomites 1 to 3 free, without robust dorsal setae. Urosomite 1 without distoventral robust seta. Urosomite 2 without paired dorsal setae. Uropod 1 peduncle without basofacial robust setae; without ventromedial spine. Uropod 3 biramous; rami not sexually dimorphic; without fringing plumose setae; inner ramus minute; 2- articulate, outer ramus article 2 short. Telson entire, with robust setae.

Remarks. Bousfield (1982, 1983) included Paracrangonyx , Dussartiella and Pseudingolfiella in the Paracrangonyctidae . The cladistic analysis of Koenemann & Holsinger (1999) indicated little affinity between these genera. Fenwick (2001) accepted the monotypy of the Paracrangonyctidae .

Dussartiellids may be most similar to austroniphargids and paramelitids. They differ from austroniphargids in having non-coalesced urosomites and apparently no distoventral robust seta on urosomite 1. They differ from paramelitids in having: no calceoli; a 2-articulate mandibular palp; an asymmetrical maxilla 1 palp; and in having coxal gills on pereonites 2–7. Dussartiellids are also similar to bogidiellids, but bogidiellids differ significantly from dussartiellids in the following characters: antenna 2 peduncular article 1 not swollen (swollen in dussartiellids); mandible palp well-developed (reduced in dussartiellids); gnathopod 2 dissimilar between sexes (similar in dussartiellids); uropod 3 inner ramus about as long as outer ramus (minute in dussartiellids).

Distribution. Madagascar.