Coral Snapping Shrimp

Alpheus lottini Guérin-Meneville, 1830

Alpheus lottini Guérin-Meneville, 1830, pl. 3.—Holthuis, 1958:22.

Alpheus ventrosus H. Milne Edwards, 1937:352.—Banner, 1958:164, fig. 4.

Alpheus laevis Randall, 1839:141.

Crangon ventrosa (H. Milne Edwards).—Banner, 1953:84, fig. 28.

Crangon latipes Banner, 1953:82, fig. 27.

MATERIAL.—2 ovigerous females, 1 juvenile, Malpelo coll. no. 3.

MEASUREMENTS.—Ovigerous females cl 5.2, 8.2 mm, juvenile cl 2.9 mm.

DISTRIBUTION.—Red Sea and South Africa, across the Central Pacific to western America where it occurs from Baja California to at least Panama. It is now reported from Malpelo.

Alpheus lottini Guérin-Méneville, 1829

Cancer sublucanus Forskal, 1775:94.

Alpheus Lottini Guérin-Méneville, 1829[1829–1844], pl. 3: fig. 3.

Alpheus Lottinii.—Guérin-Méneville, 1830[1838]:38.—Kingsley, 1883:113.

Alpheus ventrosus H. Milne Edwards, 1837:352.—De Man, 1911:207.—Gravely, 1930:78, pl. 1: figs. 2a, 3b.—Banner, 1958:164, fig. 4.—Luke, 1977:4.

Alpheus laevis Randall, 1839:141.

Alpheus lottinii.—Sharp, 1893:113.

Alpheus lottini.—Stebbing, 1915:82.—Barnard, 1950:748, fig. 141e-j.—Holthuis, 1958:22; 1961:168.—Chace, 1962:608.—Tiwari, 1963:285, fig. 8.—A. Banner and D. Banner, 1966:91, fig. 31; 1984:42.—D. Banner and A. Banner, 1981:34; 1982:65, fig. 15.—Abele, 1975:72; 1979:274.—Abele and Patton, 1976:38.—Bruce, 1976:44.—Brusca, 1980:252.—Wicksten, 1983:42.

Alpheus sublucanus.—Holthuis, 1979:9; 1980b:122.

Crangon ventrosus.—Chace, 1937:118.—Hult, 1939:4.—Armstrong, 1941:9.

Crangon latipes Banner, 1953:82, fig. 27 [juvenile form].

Crangon ventrosa Banner, 1953:84, fig. 28.—Hertlein and Emerson, 1957:6.

MATERIAL EXAMINED.—Mexico: Isabel Island, Sinaloa (sta 124-33: 3 , 2, 1 ovig); Sulphur Bay, Clarion Island (sta 140-34: 5 , 5 ovig); Braithwaite Bay, Socorro Island (sta 131-34: 2, 1, 4 ovig).

Panama: Perlas Island (sta 32: 1 ); Chapera, Perlas Island (sta 37: 2 , 2, 4 ovig, sta 39: 1); Pedro Gonzales, Perlas Islands (sta 33-4: 3 , 4 , 5 ovig); Bay of Panama (LGA 69-33: 5 , 1 , 4 ovig, 1 juv, LGA 69-35: 4 , 1 ovig).

Galapagos Islands: Darwin Bay, Tower Island (sta 101a-33: 2 , 1, 1 ovig).

MEASUREMENTS.—Males, cl 5.6–9.5 mm; females, cl 4.1–7.8 mm; ovigerous females, cl 6.4–11.9 mm.

DESCRIPTION.—Body very compressed laterally and carapace with pterygostomian margin produced anteriorly below base of basicerite. Rostrum (Figure 13a,b) acute, long, almost reaching to distal margin of first antennular segment, bearing short setae along lateral margins. Rostral carina broadened and flattened posteriorly, separated from ocular hood by deep and narrow orbitorostral groove on each side.

Ocular hood rounded laterally, bearing acute tooth; tooth arising slightly behind anterior margin and inside of middle part of hood, and directing slightly inward.

Antennules short and stout. First antennular segment bearing very deep carina extending from ventral inner margin; ventral part with very small acute projection (Figure 13c). Second segment variable but usually 1.6 times as long as broad, only slightly longer than visible part of first segment and 1.8 times as long as third segment. Stylocerite elongate, reaching to middle of second antennular segment.

Scaphocerite with lateral margin almost straight. Distal spine far overreaching distal end of antennular peduncle and reaching to distal end of carpocerite. Inner blade narrow distally, far overreaching distal end of antennular peduncle. Cleft between inner blade and distal spine arising from distal of scaphocerite.

Carpocerite overreaching distal end of antennular peduncle by length of third antennular segment. Basicerite with lateral spine, very broad at base, slightly overreaching distal margin of first antennular segment.

Third maxilliped (Figure 13d) stout. Ultimate segment broad at middle, tapering distally, about 2.4 times as long as penultimate. Penultimate segment very broad, bearing movable spines on inferior margin. Antepenultimate segment bearing movable spines along distal of inferior margin. Exopod reaching to proximal of penultimate segment Precoxa with one arthrobranch near distal end but with no supplementary arthrobranch.

Major chela of first pereopods (Figure 13e,f) compressed laterally, about 2.3 times as long as broad, with no grooves or sculpturing except shallow longitudinal median depression on outer face of immovable finger; superior and inferior margins rounded. Fingers occupying distal 0.3 of chela, bearing scattered setae on both superior and inferior margins. Movable finger not strongly arcuate, tip bluntly rounded. Merus rather broad with superior margin convex; inferior inner margin bearing 4 to 5 movable spines and one strong immovable spine at distal end.

Minor chela of first pereopods (Figure 13g,h) almost as long as major chela but more slender, about 2.7 times as long as broad with fingers about equal in length to palm. Palm with small blunt tooth flanking dactylar articulation on inner face. Movable finger much narrower than immovable finger, strongly curved at tip, crossing tip of immovable finger when closed. Inner margin of cutting face of immovable finger with distinct lamellar ridge along entire length and inferior margin of immovable finger regularly rounded. Merus with inferior inner margin bearing 6 to 7 movable spines and more strong immovable spine at distal end; superior margin fairly convex and produced distally.

Second pereopod (Figure 13i) overreaching distal end of carpocerite beyond distal of carpus. Fingers of chela almost as long as palm. First segment of carpus about 1.8 times as long as second; second segment very slightly longer than third; third segment subequal to fourth; fifth segment longer than second, more than 1.5 times as long as fourth.

Dactylus of third pereopod (Figure 13j) heavy, blunt, laterally compressed, about length of propodus. Propodus about 1.3 times as long as carpus, bearing 5 movable spines on inferior margin and pair at distal end. Carpus with inferior margin bearing acute tooth at distal end. Merus stout, about 2.7 times as long as broad. Ischium bearing small movable spine.

Fourth pereopod almost same as third pereopod. Ischium bearing almost invisible movable spine.

Fifth pereopod much narrower than third pereopod. Ischium bearing no movable spine.

Pleura (Figure 13k) of first four abdominal somites broadly rounded; pleuron of fifth somite subrectangular on posterior ventral margin. Abdominal sternite with no spine at midline. Appendix masculina at least 1.5 times as long as Appendix interna.

Telson (Figure 13l) regularly tapering posteriorly, about 1.6 times as long as broad at anterior end, armed with two pairs of dorsal spines and with no longitudinal median depression on dorsal surface. Posterior margin slightly produced at middle and bearing pair of spines at each lateral end; inner spine about 2 times as long as outer one.

Uropodal endopod with inner depression at anterior half shallow. Uropodal exopod bearing rather long movable spine flanked laterally by acute immovable tooth and internally by subacute lobe; movable spine overreaching distal margin of uropodal exopod; transverse suture forming two convex lobes, outer one more convex.

HABITAT.—Exclusively in coral Pocilloporidae (Abele and Patton, 1976:38).

COLOR IN LIFE.—Usually orange-red on upper surface, sometimes longitudinally striped with deeper red along dorsal surface of carapace and abdomen; mottled with spots of deeper red along superior and superior lateral portion of both major and minor chela (Banner, 1953:86).

TYPE-LOCALITY.—Red Sea.

DISTRIBUTION.—Red Sea; South Africa; Indian Ocean; tropical western Pacific to Hawaii; eastern Pacific from southern Gulf of California through Panama to Colombia, Clipperton, and Galapagos Islands.