Dana, 1852
Females
Body cylindrical to conical, tapering posteriorly. Ocular lenses close together, sometimes contiguous. Ce and Pd1 fused or separate; Pd3 and 4 prolonged into lateral points; Pd2, 3 and 4 may be fused or separate. Ur generally slender, of 2-3 somites, Ur1 (Pd5) small; genital apertures paired, located dorsolaterally on anterior part of Gns; seminal receptacles paired; CR elongate with 4 setae. Eggs carried in paired sacs. A1 short, 6-segmented with naked setae; without sensory organs. A2 uniramous, 5-segmented, prehensile; Coxa and Basis large, each with thick, long seta; Enp1 very short; Enp with strong, hooked spines. Md with 2 terminal elements in form of spinous teeth. Mx1 small with 1 lobe; with 4 spines. Mx2 1-segmented; drawn out into process armed with 3 major elements: 1 long plumose seta, 2 variously spinulose spines. Mxp 3-segmented, Basis with 1 inner edge spine; Enp1 fused with Enp2 and in the form of claw which bears 2 proximal setae. P1-3 biramous with both rami 3-segmented, Exp longer than Enp; P4 with 3-segmented Exp; Enp 1-segmented with 1 or 2 seta, or completely absent; P1 Coxa with or without inner seta.
Spine and seta formula: Spine and seta Corycaeidae.
P5 in form of 2 small setae on each side. P6 represented by opercular plates closing off genital openings.
Males
Ur of 2-3 somites, genital apertures paired, located ventrolaterally near posterior border of Gns. A1 never geniculate. A2 terminal hook longer in male than female. Mxp final hook is longer in male than female, 4-segmented; Basis with or without inner edge spine. P6 represented by 1 plumose seta on flaps closing off genital apertures.
This family contains two genera, both of which have been taken in the South Atlantic:
Genus Corycaeus Dana, 1849
Genus Farranula Wilson, 1932
The family was reviewed by Dahl (1912). There has been no really critical examination of the identity of members of this family in the South Atlantic since this review, so some distribution records may be suspect.