1. The New Zealand Thalassinidea

In this account the laomediids and their thalassinid allies will be regarded as belonging to the supersection Macrura Reptantia and their relationship to the Anomura will not be considered.

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Order DECAPODA
Supersection MACRURA REPTANTIA
Section THALASSINIDEA

The seven families now regarded as belonging to the section (previously called tribe) Thalassinidea are the Callianassidae, Callianideidae, Upogebiidae, Axiidae, Axianassidae, Laomediidae and Thalassinidae. These are discussed in some detail and a key for their separation is given by Gurney (1938: 339–343). All are apparently burrowing forms characterised by:— a reasonably well calcified, compressed carapace; a symmetrical, extended, often feebly calcified abdomen terminating in a well developed tail fan; the first pair of legs chelate or subchelate, second chelate, subchelate or simple, and third legs always non-chelate.

The family Callianassidae is represented in New Zealand by at least two species. Callianassa (Trypaea) filholi A. Milne Edwards (see Chilton, 1907; de Man, 1928: 101) is a widespread burrower of intertidal sandy beaches and can be locally abundant; its first larval stage has been described by Lebour (1955) and by Wear (1965). The rarely collected Ctenocheles maorianus Powell, 1949, is known from both shallow water and the continental shelf, where it is often recognised merely from detached examples of its highly characteristic comb-like chelae (see also Glaessner, 1960: 13).

The minor family Calliandeidae presumably is represented in our waters since Callianidea typa H. Milne Edwards has been listed from New Zealand by de Man (1928: 30).

The Upogebiidae is represented by the subtidal and shallow water species Upogebia (Upogebia) hirtifrons (White) and U. (U.) danai (Miers)–see Chilton, 1907; de Man, 1928: 39–43.

The Axiidae is represented by at least three species on the New Zealand continental shelf and probably others as yet unrecognised. Axius (Axius) novaezealandiae Borradaile, 1916, has seldom been taken; Calocaris (Calocaris) macandreae Bell, "Indian form" has been recorded (Kirk, 1879; de Man, 1925: 8), and an undescribed Axiopsis (Axiopsis) n.sp. is quite common (see Griffin and Yaldwyn. 1965: 43).

The Axianassidae, Laomediidae and Thalassinidae complete the list of families included in this section. A single species of the family Laomediidae is described here, while the other two families have not yet been recorded from the New Zealand area. The family name "Axianassidae" used by Wear (1965: 13) for two species of axiid larvae from Wellington Harbour is a lapsus for Axiidae. One of these two larval species was provisionally placed in Iconaxiopsis, a subgenus of Axius.