An Updated Classification of the Recent Crustacea

employed recently by Pérez Farfante and Kensley
(1997).
SUBORDER PLEOCYEMATA
The Pleocyemata contains all nonpenaeoid decapods,
whether swimming (natant) or crawling (reptant).
The group appears to be monophyletic based
on morphological data (e.g., Schram, 1984, 1986;
Scholtz and Richter, 1995) and molecular data
(e.g., Kim and Abele, 1990; Abele, 1991).
INFRAORDER STENOPODIDEA
For this section, we followed the classification provided
by Holthuis (1993a), which does not appear
to be very controversial. Authorship of the taxon
Stenopodidea is changed from Bate (1888) to Claus
(1872) at the recommendation of M. Tavares (pers.
comm.). To our knowledge, there has been only one
new family-level taxon described since the Bowman
and Abele (1982) work. Schram (1986) erected the
family Spongicolidae, so that there are now two
recognized families of extant stenopodideans (see
also Holthuis, 1993a). Schram et al. (2000) recently
described the first known fossil stenopodidean, also
attributed to the Spongicolidae.
INFRAORDER CARIDEA
For the carideans, we followed, for the most part,
the classification provided by Holthuis (1993a),
which is very similar to that suggested by Chace
(1992) (see also Vereshchaka, 1997b, for a key to
caridean superfamilies modified slightly from Chace,
1992). But in contrast with the relative lack of controversy
over dendrobranchiate or stenopodidean
classification, there is apparently no consensus on
the relationships or even the names of the incredibly
diverse families of caridean shrimps. There have
been several cladistic analyses conducted on groups
of caridean families by M. Christoffersen (see especially
Christoffersen, 1990). These studies would,
if accepted, rearrange large numbers of caridean
families. For example, in his 1986 paper, Christoffersen
placed seven families (oplophorids, atyids,
pasiphaeids, alvinocarids, bresiliids, psalidopodids,
and disciadids) in the superfamily Atyoidea, in contrast
with Chace (1992) and Holthuis (1993a), who
treated the Atyoidea as containing only the family
Atyidae. Christoffersen points out (pers. comm.)
that, among the ‘‘glaringly non-monophyletic assemblages’’
in our current classification, are the Alpheoidea,
Hippolytidae, Pandaloidea, and Nematocarcinoidea.
Adding to Christoffersen’s frustration
(pers. comm.) is that, whereas many authors
comment on the unsatisfactory state of current classifications,
especially as concerns such ‘‘wastebasket’’
assemblages as the Hippolytidae and Pandaloidea,
his own suggestions for novel arrangements
have been slow to catch on. Chace (1997) recognizes
the Hippolytidae Bate, and Holthuis (1993a)
elected to synonymize a large number of Christoffersen’s
new taxa. Thus, we are left with the difficult
task of following older yet clearly nonphylogenetic
listings (e.g., Chace, 1992; Holthuis, 1993a)
vs. cladistically generated phylogenetic arrangements
(e.g., Christoffersen, 1987, 1988a, b, 1989a,
b, 1990) that seem to have little following in the
carcinological community and for which, in our estimation,
some of the employed characters are
questionable. We have followed Holthuis’s lead,
more in deference to his vast knowledge of the carideans
than for any other reason, while acknowledging
that there have been alternative phylogenetically
based ideas presented in the literature. Only
those superfamilies for which there have been
changes subsequent to Bowman and Abele (1982)
are mentioned below.
Superfamily Galatheacaridoidea
The family Galatheacarididae and its superfamily
Galatheacaridoidea were both described by Vereshchaka
(1997b) for the species Galatheacaris abyssalis
based on a single specimen. Additional specimens
have since been found in the stomachs of
deep-sea lancetfish (Chow et al., 2000).
Superfamily Bresilioidea
This assemblage has long been recognized as being
an artificial group in dire need of revision (e.g., see
Forest, 1977). Holthuis (1993a) elected to treat the
Bresiliidae as a family and placed in synonymy
some of the recently proposed families (Agostocaridae,
Alvinocarididae). We have treated the group
as an (admittedly) artificial superfamily containing
five caridean families that may or may not be related.
Three of these families are new (i.e., they
were not included in the Bowman and Abele (1992)
classification): the family Agostocarididae was
erected by Hart and Manning (1986), the Alvinocarididae
was proposed by Christoffersen (1986),
and the Mirocarididae was described by Vereshchaka
(1997a).
Christoffersen’s (1986) family Alvinocarididae is
recognized to accommodate the majority of the
morphologically similar ‘‘bresilioid’’ shrimp from
hydrothermal vents. The family was more thoroughly
(although still somewhat incompletely) diagnosed
by Segonzac et al. (1993) in a footnote and
also by Vereshchaka (1996, 1997a) (see also Shank
et al., 1999). Vereshchaka (1997a) created a new
genus (Mirocaris) and family, the Mirocarididae,
for the hydrothermal vent shrimp described originally
as Chorocaris fortunata by Martin and Christiansen
(1995b).
Superfamily Campylonotoidea
The family Bathypalaemonellidae was established
(although without a description or diagnosis and
without mention of the genus Bathypalaemonella;
see Holthuis, 1993a:87) by Saint Laurent (1985).
The family is placed in the superfamily Campylon-
Contributions in Science, Number 39 Rationale 45