Ceradocus sheardi Shoemaker, 1948

Figs 2, 27B

Ceradocus sheardi Shoemaker, 1948: 7-9, fig. 2; Thomas 1993: 43, figs 51, 56; LeCroy 2000: 73, fig. 124.

Material examined.

Panama • 5-10 mm • 1 ♀; Bocas del Toro, Swan Cay; 9.4536°N, 82.300033°W; depth 2 m, coral rubble; 24 June 2023; K.N. White leg.; USNM 1703495 • 1 ♂; Bocas del Toro, Cayo Zapatilla 1; 9.269967°N, 82.0587°W; depth 10-11 m, coral rubble; 28 June 2023; K.N. White leg.; USNM 1703496 .

Diagnosis.

Antenna 1 accessory flagellum 7- or 8-articulate. Gnathopod 2 not sexually dimorphic, right and left sides similar; propodus enlarged, palm convex, defined by notch. Pereopod 7 basis without posterodistal lobe. Pleosome and urosome dorsally serrate. Epimera 1-3 posterior margins serrate. Telson approximately as long as wide with strong apical spines.

Distribution.

USA: South Florida from Biscayne Bay to the Dry Tortugas (Thomas 1993); Puerto Rico (LeCroy 2000); Cuba (Shoemaker 1948; Varela et al. 2003); Mexico: Yucatan (Shoemaker 1948; Thomas 1993); Belize (Thomas 1993); Panama: Bocas del Toro (present study).

Ecology and remarks.

These amphipods are common among coral rubble and under rocks at depths of 1-52 m. Panamanian specimens agree closely with previous descriptions of the species and are easily distinguishable based on the uropod 3, gnathopod 2, and heavily serrate epimeron and urosome.