Revisionary Notes on the Phoxocephalidae ( Amphipoda) , 
with a Key to the Genera 1 
J. Laurens Barnard 2 
Nomenclatural changes deemed necessary 
by the writer are briefly discussed herein, in- 
cluding: (1) a new synonymy for the genus 
Paraphoxus Sars and a listing of useful specific 
criteria for that genus; (2) new combinations 
and new names in the genera Paraphoxus , 
Heterophoxus Shoemaker, and Proharpinia 
Scheilenberg; (3) zoogeographical reasons for 
the provisional retention of the genus Har- 
piniopsis Stephensen; and (4) a new key to the 
existing genera of the Phoxocephalidae. 
Initially, this study was a local faunistic 
problem in the marine basins off southern 
California (Hartman, 1955; J. L. Barnard, 
1955). The wealth of materials collected in 
several hundred bottom samples by the re- 
search vessel, "Velero IV,” necessitated an 
extensive review of phoxocephalid systema- 
tics in order to assign the many new species to 
appropriate genera. The present paper is con- 
fined only to a rearrangement of names and 
synonymies in the literature. 
The writer wishes to acknowledge the help 
of the following persons for the loan of 
specimens and for advice: Dr. Olga Hartman, 
Hancock Foundation; Dr. Keith Sheard, C. 
S. L R. O. Division of Fisheries, Western 
Australia, who examined HaswelFs types for 
the writer through the courtesy of Dr. J. W. 
1 Contribution No. 209 from the Allan Hancock 
Foundation, University of Southern California, Los 
Angeles. Manuscript received October 16, 1956. 
2 Allan Hancock Foundation, University of South- 
ern California. 
Evans, director, The Australian Museum, 
Sydney; Dr. D. E. Hurley, New Zealand 
Oceanographic Institute; Dr. T. Soot-Ryen, 
director, Troms0 Museum; Dr. Karl Lang, 
Swedish State Museum of Natural History; 
Dr. Fenner A. Chace, Jr., and Dr. Thomas E. 
Bowman, U. S. National Museum; and Prof. 
E. Percival, Canterbury University College, 
Christchurch, New Zealand. 
Paraphoxus Sars, new synonymy 
Paraphoxus Sars, 1893: 148. 
Pontharpinia Stebbing, 1897: 32. 
Parharpinia Stebbing, 1899: 207. 
Protophoxus K. H. Barnard, 1930: 335. 
Trkhophoxus K. H. Barnard, 1930: 336. 
Metharpinia Scheilenberg, 1931: 65. 
Examination of specimens of Paraphoxus 
oculatus Sars from Norway, the type species 
of the genus, revealed a biarticulate first 
maxillary palp and not a uniarticulate condi- 
tion as shown by Sars in 1893. Historically, 
the other genera in the above synonymy have 
been separated from Paraphoxus by the posses- 
sion of a biarticulate palp; therefore, this 
distinction is no longer valid. 
The genera Parharpinia and Protophoxus 
were already fused to Pontharpinia by Pirlot 
(1932). The genus Trkhophoxus was based on 
the elongated fifth articles of the gnathopods, 
but the writer has found that this is not un- 
usual in paraphoxids and of no generic value. 
Metharpinia was founded on species bearing 
narrowed rostrums (also characteristic of 
146 
