6 - Sphaeromatidae::“Cute As Buttons”

Cass idin idea 207
RECORDS Brazilian coast from Rio de Janeiro northward, 1.5 m; Costa
Rica, Panama; shallow infratidal below sandy beaches.
REMARKS Glynn and Glynn (1974) discussed color polymorphism in this
species.
Subfamily Cassidininae Iverson, 1982
DIAGNOSIS Cephalon not medially fused with pereonite 1. Pereopod 1 am­
bulatory. Pleopods 4 and 5, both rami lacking transverse pleats, outer rami
unsegmented. Pleopod 5, outer ramus with low subapical squamiferous pro­
tuberances. Pleotelsonic apex entire. Uropods with exopods reduced.
REMARKS The genus Dies has twice been recorded from the Caribbean: D.
arndti Ortiz and Lalana, 1980, from Cuba, and D. barnardi Carvacho, 1977,
from Guadeloupe. This genus is distinguished from Cassidinidea solely on the
basis of the penial structure: biramous in Cassidinidea, uniramous in Dies.
Harrison (1984) has pointed out that the separation of these two genera has
not been satisfactorily resolved. The penis of neither the Cuban nor the
Guadeloupan species has been illustrated, but the whole-animal illustrations
of both look suspiciously like Cassidinidea ovalis. Examination of material of D.
barnardi from the Paris Museum supports the view that this species was based
on immature material of C. ovalis. Neither of the so-called species oi Dies are
dealt with in this work, both being regarded as junior synonyms of C. ovalis.
Key to genera of Cassidininae
1. Frontal lamina visible dorsally between antennular bases; two basal
articles of antennular peduncle not expanded Cassinidinea
Frontal lamina not visible between antennular bases; two basal articles
of antennular peduncle broadly expanded Paraleptosphaeroma
Cassidinidea Hansen, 1905b
DIAGNOSIS Body strongly dorsoventrally depressed. Eyes dorsal, situated
at posterolateral corners of cephalon. Latter somewhat sunken into pereonite
1. Frontal lamina expanded, visible dorsally between antennular bases. An­
tenna directed laterally. Pleon consisting of one free pleonite having short
free lateral margin, plus broadly triangular pleotelson. Uropodal endopod