A. Milne Edwards, 1880
Carapace longer than wide, convex, ovoid; surface bristling with long spines. Lateral carapace margin poorly defined, without distinct teeth but bearing numerous spines. Carapace grooves not well marked, but lateral cardiac and branchial grooves faintly evident. Frontal carapace margin broadly triangular, spinous; eyestalks short; eyes protected by well defined orbits. Sternal sutures 7/8 of female end well apart on low tubercles behind bases of second walking legs.
Antennule can be concealed inside orbit at base of eyestalk. Antennal flagella shorter than carapace width. All articles of antenna movable, first article (urinal) not beaked medially and second article has an exopod firmly fixed. Third maxillipeds opercular, completely covering buccal cavern, separated at their bases by a plate at same level as sternum; basis and ischium of endopod fused but joint always marked by a shallow groove. Crista dentata absent. Chelipeds equal, stouter than walking legs; last pair of legs very reduced; dactyl rudimentary, forming an obsolete subchelate mechanism with an extension of propodus. Gills usually 19 (including 6 podobranchs) + 7 epipods. Gill structure basically phyllobranchiate.
Abdomen of six segments and telson folded loosely under thorax, uropods large. Abdominal locking mechanism present, using well developed coxal projections. Surface of abdominal segments spinous, except for fourth segment which bears one or more large, pearl-like, medial tubercles. Females have five pairs of pleopods, first pair vestigial, remainder biramous and of normal size. Male pleopods unknown. (after McLay, 1999)
Type species: Acanthodromia erinacea A. Milne Edwards, 1880, by monotypy.
Gender feminine.
Species treated:
Acanthodromia margarita (Alcock, 1899)