isopod and amphipod ID

[isopoda]

hi, anyone here knows the most effective method to ID isopods and amphipods down to genus or even species level???

i heard from a friend that e number of hairs on certain legs r specific to certain species....but i hope i dont have to go through that tedious process.........

r there any texts or papers that anyone can recommend me???

thanx!!!

 

[isopoda]

here's sum of e stuff im trying to ID....there's a whole load of other stuff too....having a hard time with them.....if any1 has any details about them, do let me noe....thanx!!!

 

[LeslieH]

Good luck my friend. You want to do more than just amphipods & isopods! The top one is a cumacean. In the second picture the animal on the top left is an isopod, the two on the right are tanaids, and the one on the bottom left is a shrimp.

I don't want to discourage you but it's a long learning process to id these. Once you've worked with them a while identification to family becomes easy. But species & even genera require dissection of mouthparts & microscopic examination for yes, hairs on the legs & other parts, comparative ratio of body parts, types of claws, and a whole lot of other features. If you're serious, contact Peter Ng at the Raffles Museum. He's a decapod specialist but I'm sure he can direct you to the right person in Singapore & best resources. For the region in general try Buz Wilson (isopod expert) & Jim Lowry (amphipod expert) at the Australian Museum, Sydney. You can also go to the crustacean page of the AM for amphipod keys.

 

[capncapo]

The isopod appears to be a cirolanid but as a marine biologist I would think you already know that.

 

[kmk2307]

I would get a copy of Invertebrate Zoology by Rupert Fox and Barnes from your library (can you borrow books from other libraries if yours doesn't have it?) and photocopy the crustacean pages relative to your work.

It should allow you to get amphipods and isopods down to suborder easily. They list references at the end of every chapter, also.

The Biology of the Invertebrates by Jan Pechenik may be useful, also.

If you have access to the zoological record (an online database accessable through some libraries), you should try searching for papers on these groups and look for papers with taxonomic keys or references to them.

HTH,
Kevin

 

[BTTRFLYGRL]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=6537795#post6537795 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by capncapo
The isopod appears to be a cirolanid but as a marine biologist I would think you already know that.

I agree

 

[isopoda]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=6537587#post6537587 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by LeslieH
I don't want to discourage you but it's a long learning process to id these. Once you've worked with them a while identification to family becomes easy. But species & even genera require dissection of mouthparts & microscopic examination for yes, hairs on the legs & other parts, comparative ratio of body parts, types of claws, and a whole lot of other features. If you're serious, contact Peter Ng at the Raffles Museum. He's a decapod specialist but I'm sure he can direct you to the right person in Singapore & best resources. For the region in general try Buz Wilson (isopod expert) & Jim Lowry (amphipod expert) at the Australian Museum, Sydney. You can also go to the crustacean page of the AM for amphipod keys.

hey, thanx!!! hmmmm.....dissection of mouth parts...tink dat will b realli tough man....e samples im working wif r bout 3mm big!!! alrite, i will try to contact Peter Ng....tink sum of my colleagues have his contact.
thanx a million!! i realli appreciate it!! =)

 

[LeslieH]

3 mm big? Hey, that IS big compared to some of them!
Good luck and if you need help with polychaetes let me know.

 

[romunov]

You'll need a few $1000 dissection microscope for most of them. Good luck. :bigeyes: