Seroloidea Dana, 1852

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Suggested Common Name: Trisobites
Number of subordinate taxa: 116 species in 4 families worldwide, with only 4 species in 1 family reaching our region.
Etymology: after Serolis Leach, 1818, an extralimital genus with an unknown etymology. Common name refers to the striking resemblance most species have to Trilobites, to the point that they have been used in studies of trilobite ecology (Pauly & Holmes, 2022),. The L in trilobite is replaced with an s as a pun on isopod.
Taxonomic History: Seroloidea Dana, 1852
Description: (modified from Bruce & Poore, 2003) Body flattened. Maxilla 1 medial endite short with 1-2 setae. Pereonites 2-7 dorsal coxal plates distinct from tergites, often with 2-4 fully free. Pereopod 7 ventral coxal plates (if present) meeting at middle or separated by paired plates. Pleon with 2-5 free pleonites. Pleopod 5 endopod lacking scale patches. Uropod biramous (except the extralimital Spinoserolis)
Type taxon: Serolidae Dana, 1852
Notes: The bizarre, almost trilobite-like members of this family are highly distinctive and would probably be very popular in pop culture if they were better known. The other 3 families in this superfamily are small-ranged, withall being endemic to the northern rim of the Southern Ocean, but are all also equally bizarre in terms of isopod morphology.

Subordinate Taxa: Serolidae

Sources

Brandt, A., & Poore, G. C. (2003). Higher classification of the flabelliferan and related Isopoda based on a reappraisal of relationships. Invertebrate Systematics, 17(6):893-923.

Pauly, D., & Holmes, J. D. (2022). Reassessing growth and mortality estimates for the Ordovician trilobite Triarthrus eatoni. Paleobiology, 2022:1-11.

Published: Jan 1, 2023
Updated: Feb 1, 2023