Synalpheus lockingtoni Coutiére, 1909

Wicksten, Mary K., 2012, Decapod Crustacea of the Californian and Oregonian Zoogeographic Provinces 3371, Zootaxa 3371, pp. 1-307 : 68-69

Synalpheus lockingtoni Coutiére, 1909

( Fig. 14 N–Q)

Synalpheus lockingtoni Coutiére, 1909: 21 , fig. 1. — Schmitt 1921: 77, fig. 54. — Word & Charwat 1976: 63. — Chace & Abbott 1980: 569. — Standing 1981: 778. — Wicksten 1983b: 39; 1984a: 187. — Jensen 1995: 44, fig. 71. — Kuris et al. 2007: 637.

Diagnosis. Rostrum slightly longer than lateral orbital teeth, reaching end of first segment of antennular peduncle. Stylocerite reaching at least to middle of second segment of antennular peduncle. Scaphocerite with lateral tooth greatly exceeding narrow blade, reaching end of third segment of antennular peduncle or beyond. Chelae of pereopods 1 unequal, large chela with conical tubercle on anterior margin of palm. Carpus of pereopod 2 with 5 articles, article 1 longest, almost equal to combined lengths of other four articles. Pereopod 3 with bifid dactyl, extensor hook of dactyl about twice as long as flexor hook. Telson with posterolateral angles not prolonged into triangular projections, with 2 pairs terminal spines. Total length 30 mm.

Color in life. Major chela green, becoming dark green along distal end, orange apices on cutting edges of fingers. Minor chela, third maxilliped mostly translucent with red dots and green apices. Pereopod 3 translucent. Rest of body (carapace, abdomen and pereopods) translucent blue-green, bearing numerous small red dots. Posterior margins of abdominal somites and tail fan bearing yellow setae. The color is based on fresh specimen from Monterey Bay, California.

Habitat and depth. Among rocks, worm tubes, kelp holdfasts; most specimens taken at depths of 15 m or less.

Range. Cordell Bank, California ( CAS unpubl. record) to Marquez Point , Baja California Sur, Mexico. Type locality off San Nicolas I., California .

Remarks. Coutiére (1909) proposed the name S. lockingtoni to replace the name Alpheus laeviusculus Lockington, 1878 , which was a homonym of a tropical Pacific species. Lockington's type material (lost, probably burned) came from the Gulf of California, not southern California. The description of Lockington's type seems to match S. digueti Coutiére, 1909 , which does not occur in California ( Wicksten 1994). The type locality of San Nicolas I., California is for the material assigned to S. lockingtoni Coutiére.