FLABELLIFERA • TRIDENTELLIDAE 235 



RECORDS Virginia to Florida; Belize; Cuba; Venezuela to Brazil; Gulf of 

 Mexico. 



Nigeria, east coast of southern Africa, India, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Indo- 

 nesia, Philippines, Australia. 



REMARKS There is no agreement on whether this species is synonymous 

 with S. destructor Richardson, 1897. This latter (if distinct) bores into wood 

 pilings in estuarine waters, while S. terebrans is found in the prop roots of the 

 red mangrove tree, Rhizophora mangle. In this habitat, the isopods are inter- 

 preted either as being destructive agents (e.g., Rehm and Humm, 1973) or as 

 promoting increased root growth (Simberloff et al., 1978). It is unlikely that 

 the bored wood itself is a source of food for the isopods; rather, as with the 

 genus Limnoria, the food is probably detritus or fungi and bacteria growing on 

 the wood fragments in the burrows or on the setae of the appendages. 



Sphaeroma walkeri Stebbing, 1905 

 Figure 101 E 



DIAGNOSIS 6 9.5 mm, 9 10.0 mm. Pereonites 3-7 with transverse row of 

 large rounded tubercles. Last pleonite with row of prominent tubercles and 

 smaller scattered tubercles laterally. Pleotelson anteriorly inflated, posteri- 

 orly concave and cuplike, with four irregular longitudinal rows of large tu- 

 bercles plus many small scattered tubercles. Posterior margin rounded, en- 

 tire to irregularly crenulate. Uropodal endopod with several rounded 

 tubercles on dorsal surface; exopod with row of smaller tubercles on ventral 

 surface. 



RECORDS Probably pan-tropical. Florida to Puerto Rico, intertidal. 



Family Tridentellidae Bruce, 1984 



DIAGNOSIS Eyes well developed. Pereonites 2-7 with distinct coxae. Pleon 

 consisting of five free pleonites plus pleotelson. Mandible with acute incisor; 

 lacinia mobilis absent; molar present; palp of three articles. Maxilla 1, outer 

 ramus styliform with three to five strong terminal spines, and several short 

 recurved subapical spines. Maxilla 2 uniramous, biarticulate, bearing small 

 sometimes tridentate spines or scales distally. Maxillipedal palp of five arti- 

 cles; endite slender, lamellar, usually lacking coupling hooks. 



