6 - Sphaeromatidae::“Cute As Buttons”

Carpias bermudensis 83
tylus reduced or rudimentary, bearing two claws (biunguiculate). Pereopods
2—7 similar, ambulatory, dactylus with three claws (triunguiculate).
Uropods often longer than pleotelson, with relatively elongate sympod and
rami.
REMARKS This genus has been, and continues to be, a source of taxonomic
problems. Several authors (e.g., Pires, 1980) have separated the species into
the genera Carpias and Bagatus; others (e.g., Bowman and Morris, 1979) have
synonymized them. In part, this uncertainty reflects the general uncertainty
of the state of taxonomy in the family Janiridae. In this work, the genus
Carpias is used to contain all the species described under the names Carpias
and Bagatus.
While these tiny asellotes are frequently extremely abundant in certain
habitats (e.g., in reef-crest algal turfs; Kensley, 1983), difficulty is experi­
enced in identifying specimens other than mature males. The first pereopod
of the mature male is the feature best used for species separation, but varia­
tion with maturity and geographic locality have not been investigated. With
more detailed work, some species will undoubtedly be synonymized.
Carpias aIgicola (Miller, 1941)
Figure 38A,B
DIAGNOSIS 8 2.9 mm, ovigerous 9 2.0 mm. Frontal margin straight. Per­
eopod 1 in