Periclimenaeus ascidiarum Holthuis, 1951

(Figure 2)

Material examined. Panama, Bocas del Toro: 1 ♀ (cl 1.8 mm), FLMNH UF 47313 , Isla Cristóbal, Mystery Spot, lat. 9.270463 / long. -82.295934, epibiont growth on mangrove roots, coll. R. Lasley, 07.vi.2017; 1 ♀ (cl 2.1 mm), FLMNH UF 47314, same collection data as previous lot.

Remarks. The two specimens of P. ascidiarum from Bocas del Toro agree very well with the original description and illustrations provided by Holthuis (1951), except for a few minor deviations. For instance, one female has minute granules on the ventral surface of the second pereopod merus (one on the minor and two on the major), whereas the other female has two dorsal teeth on the rostrum, as in the specimen from Dominica reported by Chace (1972). Holthuis (1951) stated that the species appears to be colourless in life, at least based on the collector’s field notes. However, the Panamanian specimens, although generally semi-translucent, have very conspicuous white chromatophores evenly spread over most of the pleon, telson, uropods, carapace, cephalic appendages, second pereopods, and even eyestalks (Fig. 2). The ovaries have a dull-whitish colour (Fig. 2). Periclimenaeus ascidiarum was hitherto known only from Florida (Tortugas), Colombia (Cabo La Vela), Dominica, Cuba (Golfo de Batabanó) and Brazil (Maranhão, Ceará, Pernambuco) (Holthuis 1951; Chace 1972; Vieira et al. 2012). The present material represents the first record of the species from the Caribbean coast of Panama.