Reference 16511

Abstract: The taxonomy of the Caprellidea from the Tasmanian coast is reviewed with data on species composition and biogeographical characteristics. Four new species, Caprella edgari n. sp., Hircella inermis n. sp., Orthoprotella tuberculata n. sp. and Paraproto tasmaniensis n. sp. are described, and detailed descriptions of Caprella acanthogaster Mayer, 1890, Orthoprotella tasmaniensis Guiler, 1954 and Paraproto spinosa (Haswell, 1885) are provided. Lateral view figures of the 18 species found in Tasmanian waters until now, with a key to species level, are also given. The species diversity of littoral caprellids from Tasmania is considerably high when compared with other regions of similar latitude in the southern hemisphere, probably due to the warm effect of the East Australian current passing down towards the east coast of Tasmania. This fact, with previous studies on the low concentrations of dissolved nutrients in rivers and dark tannin-stained waters on the west coast, could result in species richness and abundance being clearly higher on the east coast of Tasmania.