Unweaving hippolytoid systematics (Crustacea, Decapoda, Hippolytidae): resurrection of several families

The Hippolytidae is the fourth largest family within the Caridea, currently containing over 330 described species in 37 genera, and the classification of this family has been rather controversial. In this study, sequences of two nuclear protein-coding genes, enolase and sodium-potassium ATPase a-subunit, and the mitochondrial 16S rRNA gene (totalling 1405 bp) from 29 hippolytid species in 20 genera plus 17 species from eight other caridean families were used to examine the phylogenetic status of Hippolytidae sensu lato. Our results clearly reject the monophyly of Hippolytidae and support the recognition of the Lysmatidae Dana, 1852, Thoridae Kingsley, 1879, Bythocarididae Christoffersen 1987 and Merguiidae Christoffersen 1990.