VIBILIIDAE Dana, 1852

Zeidler, Wolfgang, 2003, A review of the hyperiidean amphipod superfamily Vibilioidea Bowman and Gruner, 1973 (Crustacea: Amphipoda: Hyperiidea), Zootaxa 280 (1), pp. 1-104 : 7-8

Family VIBILIIDAE Dana, 1852

Diagnosis

Body length 5­20 mm, slightly flattened laterally, cuticle relatively thick, and smooth (except for minute cuticular markings). Head rather small, rarely longer than first two pereonites, subquadrangular, with weakly developed rostrum; anterior margin with small notch about three­quarters from dorsal margin, often obscured by first pereonite. Eyes small to moderate (absent in V. caeca ) but never occupying most of head surface. Pereonites all separate. Coxae separate from pereonites. Antenna 1 longer than head; peduncle short, 3­segmented; first flagellar article (callynophore) enlarged, spatuliform with slightly concave medial surface, with dense brush (two fields) of aesthetascs; remaining flagellar articles rudimentary, reduced to one or two minute articles. Antenna 2 inserted on anterior surface of head in small, almost lateral pocket; composed of 5­9 (rarely 2­4) slender articles; slightly longer than A 1 in males, slightly shorter than A 1 in females. Mandibles with palp in both sexes, third article of palp longer ( Vibilia ), or shorter than second ( Vibilioides ), molar process well developed ( Vibilia ), or reduced to simple conical projection ( Vibilioides ). Maxillae 1 with palp and well­developed outer lobe, inner lobe present as small round process. Maxillae 2 consisting of two small lobes in Vibilia , reduced to single lobe in Vibilioides . Maxilliped with short rounded inner lobe, about half as long as outer lobes. Gnathopod 1 simple. Gnathopod 2 chelate. Pereopods 5 & 6 the longest. Pereopod 7 reduced in size, with enlarged basis, with full compliment of articles, with dactylus modified, clavate or knife­shaped ( Vibilia ), or with only three small articles in addition to basis ( Vibilioides ). Uropods with articulated exopods and endopods. Telson shorter than peduncle of U3, triangular, or semicircular. Gills on pereonites 2­6. Oostegites on pereonites 2­5.

Two genera: Vibilia and Vibilioides .

Remarks

Bowman and Gruner (1973) synonymised Vibilioides with Vibilia , believing that the difference in the morphology of pereopod 7 was insufficient to maintain generic status. However, as Vinogradov et al. (1982) point out, the morphology of the mouthparts of Vibilioides differs considerably from those of Vibilia . Generally they are reduced; the mandibular molar consists of a simple conical projection; the first maxillae have a muchreduced inner lobe and the second maxillae are rudimentary. Thus, Vibilioides should be maintained.