LAOPHONTIDAE T. Scott, 1905


LAOPHONTE Philippi, 1840

"Laophonte is by far the most speciose genus within the subfamily, currently containing 43 species , and historically many authors have attempted to delimit coherent species groups within it, but with limited success" (Boxshall & Halsey 2004).

Sewell (1940) subdivided the genus into 3 main species groups based on the segmentation of the P1 exopod (group I: with 3 segments, group II: with 2 segments, group III: with 1 segment), and further subdivided each group based on the number of antennulary segments and armature formula of the female P5. In group II(iv)(a), Sewell (1940) united L. cornuta and L. adduensis Sewell defining the group by the presence of a 2-segmented P1 exopod, with a 4-segmented antennule, and by 6 and 5 setae on the P5 exopod and baseoendopodal lobe, respectively.

Later, Lang (1944, 1948) recognised 7 species-groups within the genus, the cornuta-, serrata, depressa-, setosa-, inornata-, denticornis-, and the inopinata-group, which are still more or less followed to date" (from: Gomez & Boiko, 2006).


  • Laophonte acutirostris Lang, 1965 [USA; marine tidal pools]
  • Laophonte adamsiae Raibaut, 1966 [France; marine]
  • Laophonte adriatica Petkovski, 1955 [Adriatic Sea] (syn. Lipomelum adriaticum (Petkovski, 1955)
  • Laophonte adduensis Sewell, 1940 [Maldive]
  • Laophonte aldonae Chislenko, 1977 [Franz Josef Land; marine]
  • Laophonte applanata Lang, 1948
  • Laophonte arenicola Nicholls, 1941
  • Laophonte australasica Thomson G.M., 1882
  • Laophonte baltica Klie, 1929 [Ireland, Sweden; marine]
  • Laophonte baltica baltica Drzycimsky, 1993 [southern Baltic]
  • Laophonte borceai Jakubisiak, 1938
  • Laophonte brevirostris (Claus)(?)
  • Laophonte bulbifera Norman, 1911 [Grat Britain] (syn. Esola bulbifera (Norman, 1911)
  • Laophonte brevifurca Sars, 1920 [Norway; marine]
  • Laophonte cesareae Por, 1064 [Israel?; marine] *
  • Laophonte ciliata Noodt, 1964 [Red Sea]
  • Laophonte confusa Decho & Fleeger, 1986 [Florida]
  • Laophonte commensalis Raibaut, 1961 [Europe; decapods commensal] (syn. Raibautius commensalis (Raibaut, 1962)
  • Laophonte cornuta Philippi, 1840 [cosmopolitan; marine, lakes, tidal pools, lagoons]
  • Laophonte denticornis Scott T., 1894
  • Laophonte depressa T. Scott,1894 [Europe, [Italy; marine] *
  • Laophonte dinocerata Monard, 1926 [Europe; marine]
  • Laophonte dominicalis Monard, 1935
  • Laophonte elongata elongata Boeck, 1872 [Europe, north Africa, marine, amongst algae]
  • Laophonte elongata barbata Lang, 1934 [Stewart Island; marine]
  • Laophonte elongata triarticulata Monard, 1928 [France; marine sand]
  • Laophonte erdemi (?)
  • Laophonte euxiniphila Soyer, 1977 [Kerguelen; marine intertidal]
  • Laophonte expansa Fiers, 1986 [West Indian Islands; marine]
  • Laophonte farrani Roe, 1958
  • Laophonte foxi Harding, 1956 [Europe; brackish waters]
  • Laophonte galapagoensis Mielke, 1981 [Galapagos; marine]
  • Laophonte glacialis Brady, 1910
  • Laophonte gurneyi (Lang) (?)
  • Laophonte hamata Kornev & Chertoprud, 2008
  • Laophonte hirsutus Pallares, 1979 [Argentina; marine]
  • Laophonte ifalukensis ifalukensis Vervoort, 1964 [Carolina Islands; marine]
  • Laophonte ifalukensis brevipes Vervoort, 1964 [Carolina Islands; marine]
  • Laophonte inopinata T. Scott, 1892 [Europe; marine, brackish waters]
  • Laophonte inornata A. Scott, 1902 [Europe, north Africa, Sri Lanka; marine]
  • Laophonte leuke (Por, 1959) [Black Sea]
  • Laophonte lignosa Hicks, 1988 [New Zealand; marine]
  • Laophonte litophila Monard, 1934
  • Laophonte longicaudata longicaudata Boeck, 1865 [Europe, north America; marine, brackish waters]
  • Laophonte longicaudata reducta Lang, 1936
  • Laophonte longiseta Nicholls (?)
  • Laophonte longistylata Lang, 1948
  • Laophonte macani Sewell, 1940
  • Laophonte meinerti (Brady) (?)
  • Laophonte mississippiensis Herrick, 1887
  • Laophonte nordgaardi Lang, 1948
  • Laophonte norlandica Boeck, 1872
  • Laophonte paradduensis Gomez & Morales-Serna, 2013 [Mexico]
  • Laophonte parvula Sars, 1908 [Europe; brackish waters]
  • Laophonte parvuloides Lang, 1948
  • Laophonte plana Fiers, 1986 [West Indian Islands; marine]
  • Laophonte platychelipusiodes Noodt, 1958 [Canary Islands; marine] (syn. Coullia platychelipusoides (Noodt, 1958)
  • Laophonte pseudoculata Krishnaswamy, 1959 [India; marine ] *
  • Laophonte sagenarum Oliveira, 1945) [Brazil; marine] *
  • Laophonte recticaudata Lang, 1948
  • Laophonte serrata Claus, 1863 [Europe; ponds, fresh, sea waters]
  • Laophonte setosa Boeck, 1864 [Europe; marine, brackish waters]
  • Laophonte sima Gurney, 1927 [north Africa; brackish waters]
  • Laophonte similicornuta Gomez & Boyko, 2006 [Eastern Island; marine interstitial]
  • Laophonte similis Sars, 1908
  • Laophonte spinicauda (Vervoort, 1964) [Carolina Islands, Indonesia; marine]
  • Laophonte sporadiensis Brian, 1928
  • Laophonte stromi Baird (?)
  • Laophonte thoracica Boeck, 1864 [Europe; marine]
  • Laophonte triarticulata Monard, 1928
  • Laophonte trilobata Willey, 1929 [Canada; marine intertidal]
  • Laophonte trispinosa Sewell (?)
  • Laophonte varians Brady, 1910
  • Laophonte vitiospinulosa Shen & Tai, 1973 [China; marine?] (non accepted taxon)
  • Laophonte wiltoni Scott T., 1912

    * questionable species

    INCERTAE SEDIS : Laophonte macani (Sewell, 1940); Laophonte denticornis T. Scott, Laophonte trispinosa (Sewell, 1940); Laophonte vietsi (Klie, 1941); Laophonte macani Sewell, 1940; Laophonte laurentica Nicholls, 1941; Laophonte arenicola Nicholls, 1941; Laophonte lamellipes Nicholls, 1944, Laophonte cornuta nigrocincta Nicholls, 1944; Laophonte longiseta (Nicholls, 1941); Laophonte farrani Roe, 1958; Laophonte confusa Decho & Fleeger, 1986; Laophonte arenicola Nicholls, 1942; Laophonte confusa Decho & Fleeger, 1986; Laophonte octavia ; Laophonte farrani Roe, 1958


    PARALAOPHONTE Lang, 1944

  • Paralaophonte aenigmaticum Wells, Hicks & Coull, 1982 [New Zealand; brackish waters]
  • Paralaophonte harpagone Gheerardyn et al., 2005 [Kynia]
  • Paralaophonte asellopsiformis Lang, 1965 [USA; marine]
  • Paralaophonte brevirostris brevirostris (Claus, 1863) [Europe, Red Sea; marine]
  • Paralaophonte brevirostris fissirostris (Willey, 1935)
  • Paralaophonte congenera congenera (Sars, 1908) [Europe, north Africa; marine]
  • Paralaophonte congenera mediterranea Monard, 1935 [Mediterranean, France; marine]
  • Paralaophonte dieuzeidei (Monard, 1936) [Algerie; Amphioxus sand]
  • Paralaophonte echinata Fiers, 1986 [West Indian Islands; marine interstitial]
  • Paralaophonte galapagoensis Mielke, 1981
  • Paralaophonte gracilipes (Brady, 1910) [Falkland, Kerguelen; ?]
  • Paralaophonte gurneyi (Lang, 1934) [Africa, Egypt; ?]
  • Paralaophonte harpagonae Gheerardyn et. al. 2006 [Kenya; meiobenthos]
  • Paralaophonte hyperborea (Sars, 1909) [north Europe; marine sand]
  • Paralaophonte innae Chislenko, 1977 [Franz Josef Land; marine]
  • Paralaophonte karmensis (Sars, 1911) [Norway; marine]
  • Paralaophonte lacerdai Jakobi, 1953 [Brazil; marine coastal waters]
  • Paralaophonte livingstoni Apostolov, 2004 [Livingstone Island.; Antarctic]
  • Paralaophonte longipes (T. Scott, 1893) [S. Thomé Island; marine]
  • Paralaophonte lunata (Willey, 1930) [Bermuda; marine]
  • Paralaophonte macera (Sars, 1908) [north Europe; marine]
  • Paralaophonte majae Petkovski, 1964 [Yugoslavia; coastal marine waters]
  • Paralaophonte meinerti (Brady, 1899) [Campbell Island; marine]
  • Paralaophonte (P.) naroensis Karanovic 2023 [Korea]
  • Paralaophonte obscura Vervoort, 1962 [Melanesia; marine]
  • Paralaophonte octavia (Monard, 1935) [Tunisie; marine]
  • Paralaophonte ormieresi Raibaut, 1968 [France; marine]
  • Paralaophonte pacifica pacifica Lang, 1965 [USA; marine]
  • Paralaophonte pacifica galapagoensis Mielke, 1981 [Galapagos; marine interstitial]
  • Paralaophonte pacificaemulator Gomez & Morales-Serna, 2013
  • Paralaophonte pacificavicinum Gomez & Morales-Serna, 2013
  • Paralaophonte panamensis Mielke, 1982 [Panama; marine interstitial]
  • Paralaophonte paradduensis Gomez & Morales-Serna, 2013 [Mexico]
  • Paralaophonte perplexa (T. Scott, 1898) [north Europe; marine]
  • Paralaophonte pilosoma Vervoort, 1964 [Carolina Islands; marine]
  • Paralaophonte problematica Mielke, 1981 [Galapagos; marine interstitial]
  • Paralaophonte quaterspina (Brian, 1917) [France, Greece, Rhodos; marine]
  • Paralaophonte sculpta Hamond, 1973 [USA; marine]
  • Paralaophonte septemarticulata Chislenko, 1978
  • Paralaophonte spinicauda Vervoort, 1964 (= Laophonte spinicauda (Vervoort, 1964)
  • Paralaophonte spitzbergensis Mielke, 1974 [Spitzbergen; marine]
  • Paralaophonte subterranea Lang, 1965 (= Loureirophonte subterranea (Lang, 1965)
  • Paralaophonte (Paralaophonte) ullama Gomez & Nazari, 2021 [Mexico]
  • Paralaophonte taurina (Monard, 1928) [France; marine]
  • Paralaophonte tenera (Sars, 1920) [Norway; marine]
  • Paralaophonte zimmeri (Douwe, 1929) [France; marine coastal waters]


    | KEY TO SPECIES OF THE GENUS PARALAOPHONTE |


    SPINIFERAPHONTE Gherardyn & Fiers, 2007

  • Spiniferaphonte ornata Gherardyn & Fiers, 2007 [Kenya; interstitial]


    PHYCOLAOPHONTE Pallares, 1975
    [syn. of Coullia according to Huys (2009)]

  • Phycolaophonte insularis Pallares, 1975 [south America, marine coastal interstitial]
  • Phycolaophonte tongariki Gomez & Boyko, 2006 [Eastern Island; marine interstitial]


    PILIFERA Noodt, 1952

  • Pilifera gracilis (T. Scott, 1903) [Sylt Island; marine coastal interstitial]


    PLATYCHELIPUS Sars, 1908

  • Platychelipus laophontoides Sars, 1908 [Europe; marine coastal waters]
  • Platychelipus littoralis Brady, 1880 [Europe, north America; brackish waters]


    PLATYLAOPHONTE Bodin, 1968

  • Platylaophonte delamarei Bodin, 1968 [France; marine coastal sand]


    PSAMMOLAOPHONTE Wells, 1967

  • Psammolaophonte spinicauda Wells, 1967 [Africa, Mozambique; marine coastal waters]


    PSEUDOLAOPHONTE A. Scott, 1896

  • Pseudolaophonte glemareci Bodin, 1977 [France; marine]
  • Pseudolaophonte proteus Klie, 1950 [Helgoland; marine]
  • Pseudolaophonte spinosa (Thompson, 1893) [north Europe; marine]


    ROBUSTUNGUIS Fiers, 1992

  • Robustunguis minor Fiers, 1992 [Africa,Kenya, Shimoni; marine]
  • Robustunguis ungulatus Fiers, 1992 [USA, Florida; marine]


    STYGOLAOPHONTE Lang, 1965

  • Stygolaophonte arenophila Lang, 1965 [USA; marine interstitial]


    TAPHOLEON Wells, 1967

  • Tapholeon arenicolus (Chappuis, 1954)
  • Tapholeon chappuisius (Krishnaswamy, 1957)
  • Tapholeon inconspicuus Gheerardyn, Fiers, Vincx & de Troch 2007
  • Tapholeon ornatus Wells, 1967 [Inhaca island; marine interstitial]
  • Tapholeon tenuis Gheerardyn, Fiers, Vincx & de Troch 2007
  • Tapholeon uniarticulatus Wells, 1967 [Inhaca island; marine interstitial]

    Revision of the genus Tapholeon Wells, 1967

    Key to the species of Tapholeon Wells, 1967


    VOSTOKLAOPHONTE Yeom, Nikitin, Ivanenko & Lee, 2018

  • Vostoklaophonte eupenta Yeom, Nikitin, Ivanenko & Lee, 2018 [Japan]



    | PAGE UPDATED MARCH 09- 2024|


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