Periclimenes imperator Bruce, 1967

Li, Xinzheng, Cleva, Régis & Poupin, Joseph, 2012, Report on some caridean shrimps (Crustacea: Decapoda) from Mayotte, southwest Indian Ocean, Zootaxa 3162, pp. 1-30 : 22

Periclimenes imperator Bruce, 1967

(fig. 14)

Periclimenes imperator Bruce, 1967: 53 , figs. 23–25; 2006: 21; 2007: 123. — Li, 2000: 192, fig. 243. — De Grave, 2000: 136. — Debelius, 2001: 163, 187, 261, 288, unnumbered photos. — Li and Bruce, 2006: 694 . — Marin and Savinkin, 2007: fig. 93C, D (colour). — Li et al., 2007: 279, fig. 140. — Poupin and Juncker, 2010: 282, unnumbered photo.

Material examined. St 12, 06/11/2009, 19h–22h, La Prévoyante reef, 12°41'34.70"S, 45° 9'59.99"E, coll. KUW fieldwork, scuba diving 6–11 m, coral grounds at night, on sea cucumber, probably Thelenota anax , 1 male (LC 1.5 mm), 1 female (LC 2.2 mm, LT 12.2 mm), MNHN-Na 17062.

Colouration (fig. 14). Colouration of the specimen agrees well with Debelius (2001) and Poupin and Juncker (2010), with body covered with dense white marks; a big orange stripe extending from posterolateral half of carapace to sixth abdominal pleuron, an arc orange stripe on anterolateral carapace; cornea, basal of pleopods, and merus of second pereiopods orange, distal merus, basal carpus and distal chela of second pereiopods, and distal antennal scales purple to blue, ambulatory pereiopods purple to blue.

Distribution. Type locality Zanzibar. Also known from Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Kenya, Mozambique, Comoro Islands, Madagascar, Seychelles, Japan, Indonesia, Australia (Western Australia, Queensland), Caroline Islands, New Caledonia, and Hawaii.

Remarks. The specimens agree well with the previous descriptions and illustrations. The species was not previously recorded from Mayotte with certainty. The female specimen of MNHN-Na 17062 was found associated with a sea cucumber, probably Thelenota anax (fig. 14C).