Abstract
The family Thamnocephalidae, especially the genus Branchinella, has become a mélange of genera and species with unclear affinities. A genus level revision of the family, using modern taxonomic standards, is presented. Two distinct subfamilies are recognized, consisting of six genera (including one new genus): Thamnocephalus and Carinophallus gen. nov. in the Thamnocephalinae, and; Dendrocephalus, Phallocryptus, Gurneya, and Branchinella in the Branchinellinae. Three genera are each composed of two subgenera: Thamnocephalus (Thamnocephalus and Simplicephalus), Dendrocephalus (Dendrocephalus and Dendrocephalinus subgen. nov.), and Branchinella (Branchinella and Branchinellites stat. nov.). A key to the genera is presented coupled with a checklist of all described species in the family, and Branchinella hardingi is redescribed from presumed paratype material.
References
Belk, D. (1995) Uncovering the Laurasian roots of Eubranchipus. Hydrobiologia, 298, 241–243.
Belk, D. & Brtek, J. (1995) Checklist of the Anostraca. Hydrobiologia, 298, 315–354.
Belk, D. & Brtek, J. (1997) Supplement to ‘Checklist of the Anostraca’. Hydrobiologia, 359, 243–245.
Belk, D. & Pereira, G. (1982) Thamnocephalus venezuelensis, new species (Anostraca: Thamnocephalidae), first report of Thamnocephalus in South America. Journal of Crustacean Biology, 2, 223–226.
Belk, D. & Sissom, S.L. (1992) New Branchinella (Anostraca) from Texas, U. S. A., and the problem of antennalike processes. Journal of Crustacean Biology, 12(2), 312–316.
Brendonck, L. (1997) The Anostracan genus Branchinella (Crustacea: Branchiopoda), in need of a taxonomic revision; evidence from penile morphology. Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, 119, 447–455.
Brendonk, L. & Belk, D. (1997) On Potentials and Relevance of the Copulatory Structures in Anostracan Taxonomy. Hydrobiologia, 359, 83–92.
Brendonk, L. & Belk, D. (1997) Branchinella maduraiensis Raj (Crustacea, Branchiopoda, Anostraca) shown by new evidence to be a valid species. Hydrobiologia, 359, 93–99.
Brendonck, L. & Riddoch, B.(1997) Anostraca (Branchiopoda) of Botswana: Morphology, Distribution, Diversity, and Endemicity. Journal of Crustacean Biology, 17, 111–134.
Brtek, J. 1995. Some notes on the taxonomy of the family Chirocephalidae (Crustacea, Branchiopoda, Anostracaa). Zborník Slovenského Národného Múzea, Prírodné Vedy, 41, 3–15.
Brtek, J. (1996) Gurneya, a new genus of Thamnocephalidae (Branchiopoda, Anostraca), with some notes on the taxonomy of the family. Zborník Slovenského Národného Múzea, Prírodné Vedy, 42, 3–7.
Brtek, J. (1997) Checklist of the valid and invalid names of the “large Branchiopods” (Anostraca, Notostraca, Spinicaudata and Laevicaudata), with a survey of the taxonomy of all Branchiopoda. Zborník Slovenského Národného Múzea, Prírodné Vedy, 43, 3–64.
Brtek, J. & Mura, G. (2000) Revised key to the families and genera of the Anostraca with notes on their geographical distribution. Crustaceana, 73, 1037–1088.
César, I.I. (1989) Comparative study on the resting eggs of several Anostracans (Crustacea). Key for the determination of the species based upon egg structure and diameter. Studies on Neotropical Fauna and Environment, 24, 169–181.
Cohen, R.G. (2002) Description of a new subgenus and a new species of Thamnocephalus (Crustacea: Branchiopoda, Anostraca) from the Salinas Grandes Basin, Córdoba Province, Argentina. Hydrobiologia, 486, 91–100.
Creaser, E.P. (1940) A new species of phyllopod crustacean from Stone Mountain, Georgia.. Journal of the Washington Academy of Sciences, 30, 435–437.
Dexter, R.W. (1953) Studies on North American fairy shrimps with the descriptions of two new species. The American Midland Naturalist, 49, 751–771.
Dubois, A. (1988) The genus in zoology: a contribution to the theory of evolutionary systematics. Mémoires du Muséum National D’Histoire Naturelle, 140, 1–122.
Dumont, H.J. & Negrea, S.V. (2002) Introduction to the class Branchiopoda. Backhuys Publishing, Leiden. 398 pp.
Federal Register (May 27, 1998) Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; 12–Month Finding for a Petition to List the Stone Mountain Fairy Shrimp as Endangered and Designate Critical Habitat 63(101), 28963–28964
Forró, L. & Brtek, J. (1984) Anostraca and Conchostraca taxa described by E. Daday together with a catalogue of pertinent material in the Hungarian Natural History Museum. Miscellanea Zoologica Hungarica, 2, 75–104.
Geddes, M. (1981) Revision of Australian species of Branchinella (Crustacea: Anostraca). Australian Journal of Marine and Freshwater Research, 32, 253–295.
Hamer, M.L. (1994) The Anostraca (Crustacea : Branchiopoda) of Southern Africa. Ph. D. Thesis, Department of Zoology and Entomology, University of Natal, Pietermaritzburg, Republic of South Africa.
Hamer, M.L. (1999) Anostraca In: Guides to the Freshwater Invertebrates of Southern Africa, Crustacea I : Notostraca, Anostraca, Conchostraca and Cladocera. Editors: J. A. Day, B.A. Stewart, I. J. De Moor, and A. E. Louw. Prepared for the Water Research Commission, WRC Report No. TT 121/00. 126 pp.
International Union of Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources. (2000) 2000 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, compiled by Craig Hilton-Taylor. IUCN—The World Conservation Union Species Survival Commission.
Linder, F. (1941) Contributions to the morphology and the taxonomy of the Branchiopoda Anostraca. Zoologiska Bidrag fran Uppsala, 10, 101–302.
Linder, F., (1945) Affinities within the Branchiopoda with notes on some dubious fossils. Arkiv Zoologi, 37A, 1–28.
Masi, L. (1925) Descrizioni di due Fillopodi Anostraci della Somalia Italiana. Annali del MuseoCivico di Storia Naturele Giacomo Doria, 52, 93–99.
Moore, W.G. (1967) The female of Branchinella alachua Dexter (Branchiopoda, Anostraca). Transactions of the American Microscopical Society, 86, 219 – 220.
Moore, W.G. & Young, J.B. (1964) Fairy shrimps of the genus Thamnocephalus (Branchiopoda, Anostraca) in the United States and Mexico. The Southwestern Naturalist, 9, 68–77.
Packard, A.S. (1883) A Monograph of the Phyllopod Crustacea of North America. U. S. Geological Geographical Survey Report 12(1), 295–516.
Packard, A.S. (1877) Descriptions of new phyllopod Crustacea from the west. Bulletin of the United States Geological and Geographic Survey of the Territories, III, 171–179.
Patterson, H.E.H. (1993) Evolution and the recognician concept of species. The John Hopkins University Press, Baltimore, MD. xxii + 234 pp.
Pereira, G. (1983) Taxonomic importance of the frontal appendage in the genus Dendrocephalus (Anostraca: Thamnocephalidae). Journal of Crustacean Biology, 3, 293–305.
Pereira S., G.A. & Ruiz B.L. (1995) A new species of Dendrocephalus (Anostraca, Thamnocephalidae) from Argentina. Crustaceana, 68, 567–574.
Qadri, M.A.H. & Baqai, I.U. (1956) Some branchiopods (Anostraca and Conchostraca) of Indo-Pakistan sub-continent, with descriptions of new species. Proceedings of the Pakistani Academy of Sciences, 1: 7–18.
Rabet, N. & Thiéry, A. (1996) The Neotropical genus Dendrocephalus (Crustacea: Anostraca: Thamnocephalidae) in Brazil (South America), with a description of two new species. Journal of Natural History, 30, 479–503.
Remigio, E., Timms B.V. & Hebert, P.D.N. (2003) Phylogenetic systematics of the Australian fairy shrimp genus Branchinella based on mitochondrial DNA sequences. Journal of Crustacean Biology, 23, 436–442.
Rogers, D.C. (2002) The amplexial morphology of selected Anostraca. Hydrobiologia, 486, 1–18.
Rogers, D.C. (2003) Revision of the Thamnocephalid genus Phallocryptus (Crustacea: Branchiopoda: Anostraca). Zootaxa, 257, 1–14.
Rogers, D.C., Jensen, J.B. & Floyd, T.M. (2004) Eubranchipus stegosus n. sp. (Crustacea: Anostraca), a bizarre new species of fairy shrimp from the southeastern United States. Hydrobiologia, 528, 201–207.
Sanoamuang, L., Seangphan, N. & Murugan, G. (2002) First record of the family Thamnocephalidae (Crustacea: Anostraca) from Southeast Asia and description of a new species of Branchinella. Hydrobiologia, 486, 63–69.
Shen, C.J. (1949) A new anostracan Crustacea of the family Chirocephalidae from Yunan. Contributions of the Institute of Zoology, National Academy of Peiping, 5, 149–12.
Simon, E. (1886) Étude sur les Crustacés du sous-ordre des Phyllopodes. Annales de la Société Entomologique de France, 6, 393–460.
Timms, B.V. (2001) Two new species of fairy shrimp (Crustacea: Anostraca: Thamnocephalidae: Branchinella) from the Paroo, Inland Australia. Records of the Australian Museum, 53, 247–254.
Timms, B.V. (2002) The fairy shrimp genus Branchinella Sayce, (Crustacea: Anostraca: Thamnocephalidae) in Western Australia, including a description of four new species and a key to all species. Hydrobiologia, 486, 71–89.
Timms, B.V. (2004) An identification guide to the fairy shrimps (Crustacea: Anostraca) of Australia. Cooperative Research Centre for Freshwater Ecology, Identification and Ecology Guide 47.
Timms, B.V. (2005) Two new species of Branchinella (Anostraca: Thamnocephalidae) and a reappraisal of the B. nichollsi group. Memoirs of the Queensland Museum, 50, 441–452.
Timms, B.V. & Geddes, M. (2003) The fairy shrimp genus Branchinella Sayce, 1903 (Crustacea: Anostraca: Thamnocephalidae) in South Australia and the Northern Territory, including descriptions of three new species. Transactions of the Royal Society of South Australia, 127, 53–68.
Timms, B.V., Shepard, W.D. & Hill, R.E. (2004) Egg shell morphology of the Fairy Shrimps (Crustacea: Anostraca) of Australia. Proceedings of the Linnean Society of New South Wales, 125, 73–95.
Tiwari, K.K. (1971) Occurrence of Branchinella ?hardingi Qadri and Baqai, 1956 (Crustacea, Phyllopoda: Anostraca) in Madhya Pradesh. Journal of Zoological Society of India 23, 89–94.
Weekers, P.H.H., Murugan, G., Vanfleteren, J. R., Belk, D. & Dumont, H. J. (2002) Phylogenetic analysis of anostracans (Branchiopoda: Anostraca) inferred from nuclear 18S ribosomal DNA (18s rDNA) sequences. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution, 25, 535–544.