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Volume 81, 1953
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Key to Genera of Talitridae

1.

Uropod 3 of one segment, or at most of peduncle and one ramus; maxilla 1 without palp; gn. 2 in male, 5th segment not produced behind between 5th and 6th Chiltonia Stebbing, 1899

  • These characteristics not combined; uropod 3 of peduncle and at least one ramus 2.
2.

Maxilliped palp, 4th segment not unguiform 3

  • Maxilliped palp, 4th segment unguiform 7.
3.

Uropod 3 biramous Neobule Haswell, 1870

  • Uropod 3 uniramous 4.
4.

Gnathopod 1, simple in male 5

  • Gnathopod 1, subchelate in male 6.
5.

Gnathopod 2, feebly chelate in male Tal [ unclear: ] itrus Lati., 1802

  • Gnathopod 2, strongly subchelate in male Orchestoidea Nicolet, 1849.
6.

Gnathopod 1, subchelate in female Orchestia Leach, 1813–14.

  • Gnathopod 1, simple in female Talorchestia Dana, 1852.
7.

Gnathopod 2, 5th segment masked by 4th in male 8

  • Gnathopod 2, 5th segment produced between 4th and 6th in male 9.
8.

Uropod 3 with minute inner ramus Parhyale Stebbing, 1897

  • Uropod 3 without minute inner ramus Hyale Rathke, 1837.
9.

Telson undivided 10

  • Telson divided, more or less 11.
10.

Gnathopod 2, male, like Gn. 2, female Parhyalella Kunkel, 1910

  • Gnathopod 2, male, unlike Gn. 2, female Hyalella S 1 Smith, 1874.
11.

Uropod 3 with minute inner ramus Parallorchestes Shoeniake [ unclear: ] i, 1941

  • Uropod 3 without minute inner ramus Allorchestes Dana, 1849.

This key includes all known genera with the exceptions of Hyaloides Schellenberg (1939) and Hyalellopsis Sovinskij (1915). Literature for the latter is not available to me, and the generic description of Hyaloides is not sufficiently detailed for it to be included in the key. Schellenberg gives it as follows:“Like

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Hyale but gnathopod 2 carpus in male with hindlobe which intrudes between merus and propod, and uropod 2 with a small one-segmented inner ramus.” This keys Hyaloides out in the company of Parhyalella, Hyalella, Parallorchestes and Allorchestes, but as the telson is not described and the female is unknown, the distinction can be taken no further.

I consider Talitroides and Parorchestia to be synonymous with Talitrus and Orchestia, and for that reason do not include them. Reasons for these decisions will be given in later papers.

Ceina Della Valle, represented in New Zealand by Ceina egregia (Chilton), was transferred to the Family Prophliantidae by Nicholls (1939); and although Nicholls appears to have overlooked it, Ceinina Stephensen (1933) would seem to belong in the Prophliantidae also.

More recent generic diagnoses for most of the genera will be found in Stebbing (1906), Chevreux and Fage (1925) or Schellenberg (1942).

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