In this work, the composition of the superfamily Callianassoidea isreassessed and the classification of its included taxa is criticallyreviewed. The material examined mainly originates from the collectionsof the Zoological Museum of the University of Copenhagen, and comprisessamples from the Galathea Expedition 1950-1952, Dr. Th. Mortensen'sexpeditions, including the Java-South African Expedition 1929-1930, andDr. G. Thorson's Persian expedition. In all, three of the possibly fivefamilies currently incorporated in the Callianassoidea, i.e.,Callianassidae, Gourretiidae, and Ctenochelidae, with a total of 12subfamilies, 20 genera, and 219 species, are represented in thiscomprehensive revision.
The status of the various taxa recognized is placed in the broadercontext of a re-evaluation of the contents of the infraorderThalassinidea, in which characters derived from the anatomy of thegastric mill may play a pivotal role.
The contents of the book are not only of interest for systematists butalso for ecologists and environmental biologists focusing on neritic andbenthic biocoenoses, as these mud shrimps are important agents inbioturbation processes of the sea floor.
2005; x+200 pages ISBN 90-04-14211-8 Price (all prices are subject to change without notice): EUR 89/US$ 127
