Diagnosis. Body length of mature specimens 25–41 mm; pereon arched, slightly inflated, somewhat flattened dorsoventrally. Head with blunt to triangular rostrum. Eyes absent or very small. Pereonites all separate.

Coxae separate from pereonites. Antennae 1 usually shorter than head or only slightly longer, inserted in lateral depression of head beneath rostrum; peduncle 3-articulate; callynophore stout with two small terminal articles. Antennae 2 rudimentary, composed of grossly enlarged vesicular peduncle and one tiny terminal article. Mouthparts relatively large. Mandibles without palp or molar; left with broad lacinia mobilis. Maxillae 1 with broad palp, armed with small setae distally and along one margin; outer lobe broad with five strong setae distally; inner lobe relatively narrow, rounded, armed with numerous fine setae. Maxillae 2 with relatively slender lobes of similar length, both armed with combination of long and short fine setae. Maxilliped with oval outer lobes, armed with numerous long setae; inner lobes short, not exceeding halflength outer lobes, elongate, pointed distally, mostly separate, projected laterally from outer lobes. Gnathopoda relatively robust with partly retractile dactyls. Pereopods 3–7 with fully retractile dactyls and well-developed spoon-shaped formation on propodus. Pereopods 3 & 4 longer than P5–7. Urosomite 2–3 with partial suture ventrally. Uropoda short and broad, with articulated exopoda and endopoda. Telson roundish, shorter than peduncle of U3. Gills on pereonites 2–6. Oostegites on pereonites 2–5.

One genus: Chuneola.

Remarks. This family was proposed by Woltereck (1909) for his new genus and species, Chuneola paradoxa based on a juvenile specimen from the Indian Ocean. He placed it in the subtribe Incompleta together with Mimonectes and Sphaeromimonectes (= Mimonectes) based on the absence of the mandibular palp. However, the structure of the pereopods and other characters indicate affinities with the family Lanceolidae, although its placement in the superfamily Lanceoloidea is not entirely satisfactory. The absence of mandibular palp and molar is characteristic of the Scinoidea but the incisor is relatively broad, as in Megalanceola and Prolanceola. The structure of the second antennae is also unusual but an enlarged antennal gland is also found in Microphasma and Microphasmoides (Microphasmidae).

Woltereck (1909) hypothesized that chuneolids parasitize deep-water tunicates and medusae but according to Vinogradov et al. (1982) no evidence of coelenterate nematocysts has been found in stomach contents examined. However, the short and strong pereopods with sharp retractile claws indicate an ectoparasitic habit as does the dorsoventrally flattened body, shortened antennae and loss of mandibular palp. The potential hosts are not known.