Synalpheus mcclendoni Coutière, 1910

Hultgren, Kristin M., Iii, Kenneth S Macdonald & Duffy, Emmett, 2011, Sponge-dwelling snapping shrimps (Alpheidae: Synalpheus) of Barbados, West Indies, with a description of a new eusocial species, Zootaxa 2834, pp. 1-16 : 7

Synalpheus mcclendoni Coutière, 1910

Material examined. Barbados: 3 non-ovigerous individuals ( VIMS 08BR4001–2, 08BR4401), Brandon’s Beach, from Agelas clathrodes . 1 non-ovigerous individual ( VIMS 08BR6711), Cement Factory, from Hyattella intestinalis . 2 non-ovigerous individuals, 1 ovigerous female ( VIMS 08BR8201, 08BR8301, 08BR8405), Cluff Reef, from Agelas dispar . 1 non-ovigerous individual ( VIMS 08BR8106), Cluff Reef, from Aiolochroia crassa . 1 ovigerous female ( VIMS 08BR8001), Cluff Reef, from H. intestinalis . 2 non-ovigerous individuals ( VIMS 08BR6503), Harrison Reef, from Hyrtios cf. proteus . 5 non-ovigerous individuals ( VIMS 08BR106, 08BR110), Pamir reef, from H. cf. proteus . 3 non-ovigerous individuals, 2 ovigerous females ( VIMS 08BR1401, 08BR 1413–16), Spawnee Reef, from H. intestinalis . 1 non-ovigerous individual ( VIMS 08BR801), Spawnee Reef, no host recorded. 3 non-ovigerous individuals, 2 ovigerous females ( VIMS 08BR9001–3, 08BR9101–2), Thunder Bay, from A. clathrodes . Largest ovigerous female, CL 3.76 mm, largest non-ovigerous individual, CL 3.41 mm.

Color. Synalpheus mcclendoni from Barbados were overall yellow or orange in color, with the distal portion of the major chela much brighter orange or red. The distal portion of the major chela had additional markings that varied among individuals, although these markings were generally consistent among shrimp co-inhabiting a host. All individuals had a white bar across the palm near the base of the fingers. Some individuals additionally had a blue bar proximally adjacent to the white bar. Finally, some white-barred and all blue-white barred individuals had a white crescent following the extensor margin of the dactyl. Embryos and ovaries varied from bright orange-yellow to green-yellow.

Hosts and ecology. Synalpheus mcclendoni was one of the most frequently encountered species of Synalpheus in Barbados, occurring in five different sponge hosts ( Agelas clathrodes , A. dispar , Aiolochroia crassa , Hyattella intestinalis , Hyrtios cf. proteus) and at most of the surveyed locations. This distribution contrasts strongly with some other locations, where S. mcclendoni is a rarely encountered species (Macdonald et al. 2006; Ríos & Duffy 2007; Macdonald et al. 2009; Hultgren et al. 2010).

Distribution. Florida ( Coutière 1910); Bahamas ( Dardeau 1984); Cuba ( Martínez Iglesias & García Raso 1999); Jamaica ( Macdonald et al. 2009); St. Lucia, Tobago Cays, Yucatan Mexico ( Chace 1972); Belize (Macdonald et al. 2006; Ríos & Duffy 2007); Caribbean Panama ( Duffy 1992); Curaçao (Hultgren et al. 2010); Barbados (this study).

Remarks. Synalpheus mcclendoni can easily be distinguished from other species of Synalpheus by the shape of the major chela fingers (curved in S. mcclendoni , not curved in other species). Specimens assigned to S. mcclendoni have been reported from a variety of sponge species and display a considerable variation in color pattern and body size. Therefore, it is possible that S. mcclendoni includes a number of cryptic species, but resolving this issue will require a comprehensive morphological and genetic comparison of numerous specimens from throughout the species’ range.