A Global Mission

The mission of the Ocean Census is to accelerate the discovery of ocean life to advance fundamental science, empower conservation, and fuel innovation for the future of our planet.

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Gallery

Phylum

OC-SP-0002306

Species ID

OC-SP-0002306

Discovered

Phylum

Arthropoda

Species ID

OC-SP-0002306

Provisional Species Name

Heteroserolis sp_MoV7409

Lowest Valid Taxon Name in WoRMS

Heteroserolis

Lowest Known Rank

Genus

Status

Discovered

Embargo

No

Kingdom

Animalia

Phylum

Arthropoda

Class

Malacostraca

Order

Isopoda

Family

Serolidae

Genus

Heteroserolis

Date Identified

21/09/2025

Taxonomic Remarks

The species differs from others in the genus by its narrow body (1.7 times as long as wide in the female), coxal dorsal plate 6 barely overlapping pleonal epimeron 2, small sublateral tubercles on the pleotelson, and the relatively short uropodal exopod

Received All Minimal Data for Discovery

09/03/2026

Description of Material

Diagnosis. Female. Female body 1.7 times as long as wide; head-pereonite 1 2.4 times as wide as long, head-pereonite 1 strongly tapering anteriorly; body dorsally not setose; head, pereonites 1–4, pleonites 1–3 each bearing long low median tubercle. Coxal dorsal plates 1–6 marginally contiguous, coxal dorsal plates 2–4 delimited from pereonite tergites by non-articulating suture; plate 6 just overlapping pleonal epimeron 2. Pleonites 2, 3 epimera squarish in dorsal view. Pleotelson 0.42 times as long as total length; anterior margin 0.6 times body width, 0.9 times as long as wide; tapering slightly to base of uropod, triangular beyond; with median ridge over most of length; with obsolete sublateral longitudinal ridge ending in small tubercle (not apparent in juveniles); apex rounded-truncate. Pleonite 1 sternite midventral keel extension reaching posteriorly to middle of that of pleon 2, erect, without longitudinal groove. Uropod attaching at 0.45 length of pleotelson lateral margin; endopod reaching almost to pleotelson apex, tapering to rounded apex; uropodal exopod half as long as endopod, as wide distally as endopod, with crenellate truncate distal margin. Male. Male body 1.53 times as long as wide. Pereon as in female. Pleotelson as in female. Coxal ventral plates 5–7 fused, with transverse ridge bearing medial tubercle plus second bilobed transverse ridge bearing 2 gonopores. The species is known from 192 specimens with maximum lengths of the male, 7.2 mm and the ovigerous female, 10.9 mm.

Ecology

Like all members of this family, Serolidae, the species is benthic living on the surface of the sediment. The samples included many adult males and ovigerous females.

Distribution

Australia, Western Australia, Northwest Shelf, between Dampier and Port Hedland, around 19–20 °S, 120 °E, between 30 and 134 m depth. Collected from 64 WHOI epibenthic sled samples.

Join the census

The Ocean Census Alliance unites national and philanthropic marine institutes, museums, and universities, backed by governments, philanthropy, business and civil society partners.