AbstractTisbe furcata(Baird, 1837) is redescribed in particular detail from a laboratory stock raised from individuals collected from the rocky intertidal of Helgoland (North Sea). This detailed description has revealed the following new characters: labrum rectangular caudally with about 20 dentiform spinules; mandibular exopodite with two aesthetasc‐like bluntshaped setae, its endopodite with three groups of three setae each which are confluent at their bases, segment III P 1 endopodite with an outer spinule row on anterior face (instead of a spine‐like seta) and a tube‐pore subterminally; P2‐4 endopodite and exopodite inner setae ringed in distal portion; inner two setae of P 5 baseoendopodite with common base; terminal seta of male P 5 spiniform with a weakly chitinized distal third and a terminal spinule. A phylogenetic evaluation confirms theT. holotburiae‐groupandT. gracilis‐sroupof species defined by Volkmann‐Rocco(1973 a and 1972 b respecively) and revealsT. furcataas belonging to the sister‐group of these latter two groups together. A new group, theT. furcata‐groupof species, is proposed comprising the following species:T, furcata, T. celata, T. variana, T. ianthina, T. carolinensis, T. bocqueti, T. lagunari