Skip to main content Skip to main navigation menu Skip to site footer
Responsive image
Issue: Vol. 5716 No. 4: 3 Nov. 2025
Type: Article
Published: 2025-11-03
DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5716.4.1
Page range: 451-482
Abstract views: 177
PDF downloaded: 10

On the genus Grandidierella Coutière, 1904 (Amphipoda: Aoridae) of India with the description of two new species

Animal and Ecology Laboratory, Department of Life sciences, Hemchandracharya North Gujarat University, Patan- 384265, Gujarat, India
Department of Marine Sciences, Berhampur University, Bhanja Bihar, Odisha, 760007, India
Department of Marine Sciences, Berhampur University, Bhanja Bihar, Odisha, 760007, India
School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University College Cork, Cork Enterprise Centre, Distillery Fields, North Mall, Cork, Ireland
Department of Marine Sciences, Berhampur University, Bhanja Bihar, Odisha, 760007, India
Animal and Ecology Laboratory, Department of Life sciences, Hemchandracharya North Gujarat University, Patan- 384265, Gujarat, India
Amphipoda Aoridae Chilika Lagoon Gujarat Taxonomy Crustacea

Abstract

Six species of the genus Grandidierella Coutière, 1904 were collected from Odisha and Gujarat coasts of India. Of these, two are newly described, one is recorded for the first time from the West Coast of India, and two are newly documented from the state of Gujarat. Grandidierella geetanjalae sp. nov. differs from its close congeners, G. palama and G. pseudosakaensis, by having a comparatively smaller spine on the posterior margin of carpus of gnathopod 1. Grandidierella khambhatensis sp. nov. differs from its close congener G. perlata by having a hook shaped uropod 3 ramus. With the addition of G. geetanjalae sp. nov., and G. khambhatensis sp. nov., the world species count for the genus is increased to 56, and the number of species found in Indian waters rises to 11. The map showing the distribution of Grandidierella species and the key to the Grandidierella species reported from India are also given.

References

  1. Ali-Eimran, A., Lee, Y. & Azman, B.A.R. (2020) Two new species of Grandidierella (Amphipoda, Corophiida, Aoridea) from Singapore. European Journal of Taxonomy, 683, 1–28. https://doi.org/10.5852/ejt.2020.683
  2. Ariyama, H. (2020) Six species of Grandidierella collected from the Ryukyu Archipelago in Japan, with descriptions of four new species (Crustacea: Amphipoda: Aoridae). Zootaxa, 4810 (1), 1–44. https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.4810.1.1
  3. Asari, K.P. & Myers, A.A. (1982) Taxonomic studies on the genus Grandidierella Coutière (Crustacea, Amphipoda) IV. Indian species. Bulletin du Muséum national d’histoire naturelle, 4 (4), 237–256. https://doi.org/10.5962/p.286036
  4. Azhagu Raj, R., Ganesh, J., Prakasam, A., Krishnamoorthy, D., Tomson, M. & Milton, M.J. (2017) Fauna associated with the marine macroalga Chaetomorpha aerea (Dillwyn) Kützing (Chlorophyceae) in Pulicat estuary, Tamil Nadu, India. International Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Studies, 5 (1), 319–326.
  5. Bano, H. & Kazmi, Q.B. (2010) Grandidierella trispinosa, a new species of amphipod from the Karachi coast, Pakistan (Crustacea: Amphipoda: Aoridae). Turkish Journal of Zoology, 34 (2), 151–157. https://doi.org/10.3906/zoo-0810-13
  6. Barnard, J.L. (1977) Cavernicolous fauna of Hawaiian lava tubes. 9. Amphipoda (Crustacea) from brackish lava ponds on Hawaii and Maui. Pacific Insects, 17 (2–3), 267–299.
  7. Barnard, K.H. (1935) Report on some Amphipoda, Isopoda, and Tanaidacea in the collections of the Indian Museum. Records of the Zoological Survey of India, 37 (3), 279–319. https://doi.org/10.26515/rzsi/v37/i3/1935/162970
  8. Barnard, K.H. (1951) New records and descriptions of new species of Isopods and Amphipods from South Africa. Annals and Magazine of Natural History, Series 12, 4 (43), 698–709. https://doi.org/10.1080/00222935108654195
  9. Barnard, K.H. (1952) Description of a new species of amphipod. Transactions of the Royal Society of South Africa, 33 (2), 279–282. https://doi.org/10.1080/00359195109519888
  10. Bhoi, G., Dubey, S.K. & Patro, S. (2022) Marine benthic amphipods (Amphipoda) of India: an assessment on their biodiversity, distribution and significance. Thalassas: An International Journal of Marine Sciences, 39 (1), 215–233. https://doi.org/10.1007/s41208-022-00484-8
  11. Chilton, C. (1921) Amphipoda. Fauna of the Chilka Lake. Memoirs of the Indian Museum, 5 (8), 520–558.
  12. Chilton, C. (1925) The Amphipoda or Talc Sap. In: Annandale, N. (Ed.), Zoological results of a tour in the Far East. Memoirs of the Asiatic Society of Bengal. Vol. 6. Printed at the Baptist Mission Press, and published by the Asiatic Society, Calcutta, pp. 531–541.
  13. Coutière, H. (1904) Sur un type nouveau d’amphipodes Grandidierella mahafalensis provenant de Madagascar. Bulletin de la Société Philomathique de Paris, 6, 166–174.
  14. Dev Roy, M.K., Nandi, N.C. & Khan, R.A. (2009) Invertebrate diversity. In: Faunal Diversity of Vembanad Lake, A Ramsar site in Kerala, India. Wetland Ecosystem,10, pp. 69–128.
  15. Giles, G.M. (1890) Natural history notes from H.M.’s Indian marine survey steamer “Investigator”. Further notes on the Amphipoda of Indian waters. Journal of the Asiatic Society of Bengal, 57, 220–255.
  16. Griffiths, C.L. (1973) The Amphipoda of Southern Africa. Part 1. The Gammaridea and Caprellidea of Southern Mozambique. Annals of the South African Museum, 60 (10), 265–306.
  17. Griffiths, C.L. (1974a) The Amphipoda of Southern Africa. Part 3. The Gammaridea and Caprellidea of Natal. Annals of the South African Museum, 62 (7), 209–264.
  18. Griffiths, C.L. (1974b) The Amphipoda of Southern Africa. Part 4. The Gammaridea and Caprellidea of the Cape Province east of Cape Agulhas. Annals of the South African Museum, 65 (9), 251–336.
  19. Horton, T., Lowry, J., De Broyer, C., Bellan-Santini, D., Copilas-Ciocianu, D., Corbari, L., Costello, M.J., Daneliya, M., Dauvin, J.C., Fišer, C., Gasca, R., Grabowski, M., Guerra-García, J.M., Hendrycks, E., Hughes, L., Jaume, D., Jazdzewski, K., Kim, Y.-H., King, R., Krapp-Schickel, T., LeCroy, S., Lörz, A.-N., Mamos, T., Senna, A.R., Serejo, C., Souza-Filho, J.F., Tandberg, A.H., Thomas, J.D., Thurston, M., Vader, W., Väinölä, R., Valls Domedel, G., Vonk, R., White, K. & Zeidler, W. (2024) World Amphipoda Database. Accessed through: World Register of Marine Species. Available from: https://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=205825 (accessed 21 September 2025)
  20. Imbach, M.C. (1967) Gammaridean Amphipoda from the South China Sea. In: Brinton, E., Schaefer, M. & Wooster, W. (Eds.), Scientific Results of Marine Investigations of the South China Sea and the Gulf of Thailand. The University of California, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, La Jolla, San Diego, California, pp. 40–167.
  21. Kumar, R.K., Bhoi, G. & Patro, S. (2024) First occurrence record of Grandidierella halophilus (Amphipoda, Aoridae) from the Indian coast. National Academy Science Letters, 48, 17–19. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40009-024-01427-y
  22. Latreille, P.A. (1816) Amphipoda. In: Nouveau Dictionaire d’histoire naturelle appliquée aux Arts, à l’Agriculture, à l’Économie rurale et domestique, à la Médecine, etc. Vol. 1. 2nd Edition. Deterville, Paris, pp. 467–469.
  23. Leach, W.E. (1814) Crustaceology. In: Brewster, D. (Ed.), The Edinburgh Encyclopaedia, 7 (1), pp. 383–384.
  24. Ledoyer, M. (1967) Amphipodes gammariens, des herbiers de phanérogames marines de la région de Tuléar (République Malgache). Étude systématique et écologique. Annales de l’Université de Madagascar, 5, 121–170.
  25. Ledoyer, M. (1968) Amphipodes gammariens de quelques biotopes de substrat meuble de la région de Tuléar. Annales de l’Université de Madagascar, 6, 17–62.
  26. Ledoyer, M. (1973) Étude systématique des amphipodes recueillis à Tuléar (Madagascar) lors d’une petite série de pêches à la lumière. Comparaison avec les phénomènes observés en Méditerranée. Tethys, 5, 37–50.
  27. Ledoyer, M. (1979) Expédition Rumphius II 1975. Crustacés parasites, commensaux, etc. (Th. Monod et R. Serène, Éd.). VI. Crustacés Amphipodes Gammariens. In: Bulletin du Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle, Section A, Zoologie, Biologie et Écologie Animals, Series 4, 1 (1), pp. 137–181. https://doi.org/10.5962/p.283222
  28. Ledoyer, M. (1982) Crustacés Amphipodes Gammariens. Familles des Acanthonotozomatidae à Gammaridae. Faune de Madagascar, 59 (1), 1–598.
  29. Lo Brutto, S., Iaciofano, D., Lubinevsky, H. & Galil, B.S. (2016) Grandidierella bonnieroides Stephensen, 1948 (Amphipoda, Aoridae)—first record of an established population in the Mediterranean Sea. Zootaxa, 4092 (4), 518–528. https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.4092.4.3
  30. Lowry, J.K. & Myers, A.A. (2013) A phylogeny and classification of the Senticaudata subord. nov. Crustacea: Amphipoda. Zootaxa, 3610 (1), 1–80. https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.3610.1.1
  31. Lyla, P., Singaravelu, V., Antony, P. & Khan, S. (2004) Reproductive strategy of gammarid amphipods in Vellar Estuary and Killai Backwaters. Journal of the Marine Biological Society of India, 46 (2), 141–145.
  32. Lyons, J. & Myers, A.A. (1990) Amphipoda Gammaridea from coral rubble in the Gulf of Aqaba, Red Sea: Families Acanthonotozomatidae, Ampeliscidae, Ampithoidae, Anamixidae, Aoridae, and Colomastigidae. Journal of Natural History, 24 (5), 1197–1225. https://doi.org/10.1080/00222939000770731
  33. Mondal, N., Rajkumar, M., Sun, J., Kundu, S., Lyla, P.S., Ajmal Khan, S. & Trilles, J.P. (2010) Biodiversity of brackish water amphipods (Crustacea) in two estuaries, southeast coast of India. Environmental Monitoring and Assessment, 171 (1), 471–486. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10661-009-1292-z
  34. Myers, A.A. & Lowry, J.K. (2003) A phylogeny and a new classification of the Corophiidea (Amphipoda). Journal of Crustacean Biology, 23 (2), 443–485. https://doi.org/10.1651/0278-0372(2003)023[0443:APAANC]2.0.CO;2
  35. Myers, A.A., Sreepada, R.A. & Sanaye, S.V. (2019) A new species of Grandidierella Coutière, 1904, G. nioensis sp. nov. (Amphipoda, Aoridae), from the east coast of India. Zootaxa, 4544 (1), 119–119. https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.4544.1.7
  36. Myers, A.A. (1970) Taxonomic studies on the genus Grandidierella Coutiere (Crustacea: Amphipoda), with a description of G. dentirnera sp. nov. Bulletin of Marine Science, 20 (1), 135–147.
  37. Myers, A.A. (1972) Taxonomic studies on the genus Grandidierella Coutiére (Crustacea: Amphipoda) II. The Malagasy species. Bulletin du Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle, 3 (64), 789–796. https://doi.org/10.5962/p.272598
  38. Myers, A.A. (1981) Taxonomic studies on the genus Grandidierella Coutière (Crustacea, Amphipoda). III. Fijian, Australian and Saudi Arabian species. Bulletin du Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle, 3, 213–226. https://doi.org/10.5962/p.285820
  39. Myers, A.A. (1998) The Amphipoda (Crustacea) of New Caledonia: Aoridae. Records of the Australian Museum, 50, 187–210. https://doi.org/10.3853/j.0067-1975.50.1998.1279
  40. Myers, A.A. (2002) Marine amphipods of the families Aoridae and Neomegamphopidae from Phuket, Thailand. Phuket Marine Biological Center Special Publication, 23 (1), 213–228.
  41. Myers, A.A. (2009) Aoridae. In: Lowry, J.K. & Myers, A.A. (Eds.), Benthic Amphipoda (Crustacea: Peracarida) of the Great Barrier Reef, Australia. Zootaxa, 2260 (1), pp. 220–278. https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.2260.1.9
  42. Nayar, K.N. (1959) The Amphipoda of the Madras coast. Bulletin of the Madras Government Museum, Natural History, 6 (3), 1–59.
  43. Nayar, K.N. (1966) On the gammaridean Amphipoda of the Gulf of Mannar, with special reference to those of the pearl and chank beds. Proceedings of the Symposium on Crustacea held at Ernakulam from January 12 to 15, 1965, Marine Biological Association of India, 1, 133–168.
  44. Panikkar, N.K. & Aiyar, R.G. (1937) The brackish water fauna of Madras. Proceedings of the Indian Academy of Science, 6 (5), 284–336. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03051463
  45. Patel, K., Padate, V., Osawa, M., Tiwari, S., Vachhrajani, K. & Trivedi, J. (2022) An annotated checklist of anomuran species (Crustacea: Decapoda) of India. Zootaxa, 5157 (1), 1–100. https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5157.1.1
  46. Ren, X. (2006) Fauna Sinica, Invertebrata. Vol. 41. Crustacea: Amphipoda: Gammaridea (I). Science Press, Beijing, 588 pp. [in Chinese with English abstract and descriptions of new species]
  47. Ruffo, S. (1958) Amphipodes terrestres et des eaux continentales de Madagascar, des Comores et de la Réunion. Mémoires de l’Institut Scientifique de Madagascar, Series A, 12, 35–66.
  48. Schellenberg, A. (1925) Crustacea VIII. Amphipoda. Beitrage zur Kenntnis der Meeresfauna Westafrikas, 3, 113–204.
  49. Schellenberg, A. (1928) Report on the Amphipoda. The Transactions of the Zoological Society of London, 22 (5), 633–692. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1096-3642.1928.tb00209.x
  50. Schellenberg, A. (1938) Litorale Amphipoden des tropischen Pazifiks. Kungliga Svenska Vetenskapsakademiens Handlingar, Series 3, 16 (6), 1–105.
  51. Shoemaker, C.R. (1935) A new species of amphipod of the genus Grandidierella and a new record for Melitanitida from Sinaloa, Mexico. Journal of the Washington Academy of Sciences, 25, 65–71.
  52. Shoemaker, C.R. (1948) The Amphipoda of the Smithsonian-Roebling Expedition to Cuba in 1937. Smithsonian Miscellaneous Collections, 110 (3), 1–15. https://doi.org/10.5962/bhl.part.9028
  53. Sivaprakasam, T.E. (1970) Amphipoda from the East coast of India. Part 2. Gammaridea and Caprellidea. Journal of Bombay Natural History Society, 67 (2), 153–170.
  54. Stebbing, T.R.R. (1899) Revision of Amphipoda (continued). Annals and Magazine of Natural History, Series 7, 4 (21), 205–211. https://doi.org/10.1080/00222939908678185
  55. Stebbing, T.R.R. (1908) The Fauna of Brackish Ponds at Port Canning, Lower Bengal. IX. A new species of Amphipoda. Records of the Zoological Survey of India, 2 (2), 119–123. https://doi.org/10.26515/rzsi/v2/i2/1908/163321
  56. Stephensen, K. (1933) Fresh and brackish-water Amphipoda from Bonaire, Curaçao and Aruba. Zoologische Jahrbücher. Abteilung für Systematik, Ökologie un Geographie der Tiere, 64 (3/5), 289–508.
  57. Stephensen, K. (1938) Grandidierella japonica n. sp. a new amphipod with stridulating (?) organs from brackish water in Japan. Annotationes Zoologicae Japonensis, 17 (2), 179–184.
  58. Stephensen, K. (1948) Amphipods from Curaçao, Bonaire, Aruba and Margarita. Studies on the Fauna of Curaçao and other Caribbean Islands, 3 (11), 1–20.
  59. Surya Rao, K.V. (1972) Intertidal amphipods from the Indian coast. Proceedings of Indian National Science Academy, 38, 190–205.
  60. Thacker, D., Myers, A.A., Trivedi, J.N. & Mitra, S. (2024) On a small collection of amphipods (Crustacea, Amphipoda) from hilika Lake with the description of three new species and a new genus. Zootaxa, 5446 (3), 383–404. https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5446.3.4
  61. Thacker, D., Patel, K., Myers, A., Guerra-García, J.M., Zeidler, W. & Trivedi, J. (2023) Annotated checklist of marine amphipods (Crustacea: Amphipoda) of India. Zootaxa, 5340 (1), 1–90. https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5340.1.1
  62. Thilagavathi, B., Varadharajan, D., Babu, A., Manoharan, J., Vijayalakshmi, S. & Balasubramanian, T. (2013) Distribution and diversity of macrobenthos in different mangrove ecosystems of Tamil Nadu coast, India. Journal of Aquaculture Research and Development, 4 (9), 1–6. https://doi.org/10.4172/2155-9546.1000218
  63. Thistle, A.B. & Watling, L. (1989) Functional morphology of feeding and grooming in Crustacea. CRC Press.
  64. Venkataraman, K. (2007) Amphipoda. In: Fauna of Chennai Coast. Zoological Survey of India, Kolkata, pp. 61–64.
  65. Wongkamhaeng, K., Hongpadharakiree, K. & Chotikarn, P. (2016) First record of Grandidierella gilesi Chilton, 1921 (Amphipoda: Aoridae) from the pond at Kasetsart University Museum of Fisheries, Department of Fisheries, Kasetsart University. Proceedings of the 5th Marine Science Conference, Rama Gardens Hotel, Bangkok, pp. 1–3.
  66. Wongkamhaeng, K., Pholpunthin, P. & Azman, B.A.R. (2012) Grandidierella halophilus, a new species of the family Aoridae (Crustacea: Amphipoda) from the saltpans of The Inner Gulf of Thailand. The Raffles Bulletin of Zoology, 60 (2), 433–447.
  67. Wongkamhaeng, K., Pholpunthin, P. & Azman, B.A.R. (2017) New record of hypersaline gammarid amphipod Grandidierella halophilus Wongkamhaeng, Pholpunthin & Azman (Amphipoda, Aoridae) in mangrove forest in Rayong Province, Thailand. Proceedings of the 8th National Conference on Algae and Plankton, Burapha University, 2017, 147–151.

How to Cite

Thacker, D.R., Patro, S., Bhoi, G., Myers, A.A., Kumar, R.K. & Trivedi, J.N. (2025) On the genus Grandidierella Coutière, 1904 (Amphipoda: Aoridae) of India with the description of two new species. Zootaxa, 5716 (4), 451–482. https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5716.4.1