Dromioidea

Sponge crab Petalomera wilsoni, from here.

Belongs within: Brachyura.

The Dromioidea is a clade of crabs containing the families Dromiidae and Dynomenidae, though it has been suggested that one or both families may be para-/polyphyletic (Martin & Davis 2001). Depending on classification, the Homolodromiidae may also be included within the Dromioidea. The group is characterised by well-developed uropods on the abdomen forming a pair of dorsal plates or (more rarely) ventral lobes. In Dromiidae, the uropods are smaller but more prominent, being broader transversely in females than males. In Dynomenidae, the uropods are larger but less prominent, being more integrated into the general outline of the abdomen (Guinot & Tavares 2001).

Characters (from Guinot et al. 1998): Endophragmal skeleton fused, never with simple anastomoses; carapace generally folded ventrally; lateral or pleural line present (rarely a soft branchiostegite); brachyuran arrangement of eyes and cephalic appendagese in the same plane; orbital fossa present; buccal frame brachygnath, with more operculiform third maxillipeds; abdominal pleura never well developed (except some dromiid genera); dorsal uropods generally well developed and dorsally visible (exceptionally ventral); gills reduced in number, very far from trichobranchiate type.

<==Dromioidea
    |--Dynomenidae MD01
    |    |--Acanthodromia erinacea Milne Edwards 1880 GT01
    |    |--Metadynomene crosnieri McLay 1999 GT01
    |    `--Hirsutodynomene spinosa (Rathbun 1911) MG-H11
    `--Dromiidae MG-H11
         |--Dromidia spongiosa (Stimpson 1858) GT01
         |--Hypoconcha W01
         |--Dromidiopsis australiensis (Haswell 1882) TSH09
         |--Austrodromidia insignis (Rathbun 1923) MG-H11
         |--Epigodromia MG-H11
         |--Fultodromia nodipes (Guérin-Méneville 1832) MG-H11
         |--Metadromia wilsoni (Fulton & Grant 1902) MG-H11
         |--Takedromia MG-H11
         |--Cryptodromia octodentata B64
         |--Stimdromia TSH09
         |    |--S. angulata (Sakai 1936) GT01
         |    `--S. lateralis (Gray 1831) TSH09
         |--Petalomera Stimpson 1907 B64
         |    |--P. granulata Stimpson 1858 GT01
         |    |--P. lateralis (Gray 1831) [=Dromia lateralis, Cryptodromia lateralis, Paradromia lateralis] B64
         |    `--P. wilsoni (Fulton & Grant 1902) [=Cryptodromia wilsoni; incl. Dromia pseudogibbosa Parisi 1915] B64
         |--Dromilites GT01
         |    |--D. bucklandii Milne Edwards 1837 GT01
         |    |--D. lamarckii (Desmarest 1822) GT01
         |    `--D. simplex Quayle & Collins 1981 GT01
         `--Dromia personata (Linnaeus 1758) KK03

*Type species of generic name indicated

REFERENCES

[B64] Bennett, E. W. 1964. The marine fauna of New Zealand: Crustacea Brachyura. New Zealand Department of Scientific and Industrial Research Bulletin 153: 1–120.

Guinot, D., B. G. M. Jamieson, B. Richer de Forges & C. C. Tudge. 1998. Comparative spermatozoal ultrastructure of the three dromiacean families exemplified by Homolodromia kai (Homolodromiidae), Sphaerodromia lamellata (Dromiidae), and Dynomene tanensis (Dynomenidae) (Podotremata: Brachyura). Journal of Crustacean Biology 18 (1): 78-94.

[GT01] Guinot, D., & M. Tavares. 2001. Une nouvelle famille de crabes du Crétacé, et la notion de Podotremata Guinot, 1977 (Crustacea, Decapoda, Brachyura). Zoosystema 23 (3): 507–546.

[KK03] Kocataş, A., & T. Katağan. 2003. The decapod crustacean fauna of the Turkish seas. Zoology in the Middle East 29: 63–74.

[MD01] Martin, J. W., & G. E. Davis. 2001. An updated classification of the Recent Crustacea. Natural History Museum Los Angeles County, Science Series 39: 1–124.

[MG-H11] McEnnulty, F. R., K. L. Gowlett-Holmes, A. Williams, F. Althaus, J. Fromont, G. C. B. Poore, T. D. O'Hara, L. Marsh, P. Kott, S. Slack-Smith, P. Alderslade & M. V. Kitahara. 2011. The deepwater megabenthic invertebrates on the western continental margin of Australia (100–1100 m depths): composition, distribution and novelty. Records of the Western Australian Museum Supplement 80: 1–191.

[TSH09] Titelius, M. A., A. Sampey & C. G. Hass. 2009. Crustaceans of Mermaid (Rowley Shoals), Scott and Seringapatam Reefs, north Western Australia. Records of the Western Australian Museum Supplement 77: 145–176.

[W01] Williamson, D. I. 2001. Larval transfer and the origins of larvae. Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 131: 111–122.