Gnathiidae

The Gnathiidae are a family of isopod crustaceans. They occur in a wide range of depths, from the littoral zone to the deep sea. The adults are associated with sponges and may not feed.[1] The juvenile form is known as a 'praniza' larva, and it is a temporary parasite of marine fish.[1][2]

Drawings of Gnathiidae by Hesse (1864)[2]

Gnathiidae
Male (left), female (upper right), praniza (lower right)
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Subphylum: Crustacea
Class: Malacostraca
Superorder: Peracarida
Order: Isopoda
Suborder: Cymothoida
Superfamily: Cymothooidea
Family: Gnathiidae
Leach, 1814

Taxonomy in the family relies on male characters, such that females and juveniles cannot be reliably identified.[1] The family contains 182 species,[3] divided among the following genera:[4]

  • Afrignathia Hadfield & Smit, 2008
  • Bathygnathia Dollfus, 1901
  • Bythognathia Camp, 1988
  • Caecognathia Dollfus, 1901
  • Elaphognathia Monod, 1926
  • Euneognathia Stebbing, 1893
  • Gibbagnathia Cohen & Poore, 1994
  • Gnathia Leach, 1814
  • Monodgnathia Cohen & Poore, 1994
  • Paragnathia Omer-Cooper & Omer-Cooper, 1916
  • Tenerognathia Tanaka, 2005
  • Thaumastognathia Monod, 1926

References
  1. Richard Brusca, Vania R. Coelho & Stefano Taiti (2001). "Suborder Gnathiidae [sic]". Guide to the Coastal Marine Isopods of California. Tree of Life Web Project. Retrieved August 28, 2010.
  2. Hesse, Eugène (1864). Mémoire sur les pranizes et les ancées et sur les moyens curieux à l'aide desquels certains crustacés parasites assurent la conservation de leur espèce. Extrait du Tome XMII des Mémoires Présentés par Divers Savants à l'Institut Impérial de France. Paris, J. B. Baillière et Fils, Libraire de l’Académie Impériale de Médecine. BHL PDF in BHL
  3. Jörundar Svavarsson (2006). "New species of Gnathiidae (Crustacea, Isopoda, Cymothoida) from seamounts off northern New Zealand" (PDF). Zootaxa. 1173: 39–56.
  4. WoRMS (2010). M. Schotte; C. B. Boyko; N. L. Bruce; G. C. B. Poore; S. Taiti; G. D. F. Wilson (eds.). "Gnathiidae". World Marine, Freshwater and Terrestrial Isopod Crustaceans database. World Register of Marine Species. Retrieved August 28, 2010.


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