Synalpheus senegambiensis Coutière, 1908

Anker, Arthur, Pachelle, Paulo P. G., Grave, Sammy De & Hultgren, Kristin M., 2012, 3598, Zootaxa 3598 (1), pp. 1-96 : 68-70

Synalpheus senegambiensis Coutière, 1908

Synalpheus Paulsoni Senegambiensis Coutière 1908: 202 .

Synalpheus paulsoni senegambiensis — Coutière 1909: 92; Balss 1916: 19.

Synalpheus senegambiensis — Holthuis 1951: 90, fig. 19; Holthuis 1952b: 44; Crosnier & Forest 1965: 362, fig. 5c; Crosnier & Forest 1966: 290, fig. 28.

Material examined. São Tomé: 1 male, OUMNH. ZC.2012-07-072, 2 km west of Lagoa Azul , near shipwreck, rocky shore with coralline algae, in crevices of rocks and coralline algae, low tide, coll. A. Anker, N. Knowlton, 01.02.2006 [fcn 06-122]. Nigeria: 1 male, 1 ov. female , 1 female, NHM, Port Harcourt , 142, raft N/ T frame, associated with sponges on oysters, coll. H.J. Stebbings, 20.08.1957 - 19.09.1957 .

Size range. Male from São Tomé at 4.2 mm cl; Nigerian specimens about the same size; previously reported specimens ranged 6–14 mm in total length ( Crosnier & Forest 1966).

Type locality. Cape Verde .

Distribution. Eastern Atlantic: Cape Verde; Mauritania; Senegal; Gambia; Guinea; Sierra Leone; Benin; Nigeria; São Tomé and Principe; Equatorial Guinea [ Annobón]; Angola [Rio Cuanza; Mayumba] ( Coutière 1909; Holthuis 1951; Crosnier & Forest 1966; present study; A. Anker, pers. obs.; see also map in Fig. 52 ).

Ecology. Soft and hard bottoms dominated by coralline algae; depth range: lower intertidal to 75 m ( Crosnier & Forest 1966; present study); in crevices in coral rocks and clumps of coralline algae exposed at low tide, no associations recorded; most likely living in heterosexual pairs.

Remarks. The single specimen from São Tomé agrees fairly well with the descriptions of S. senegambiensis in Holthuis (1951) and Crosnier & Forest (1966). In the shape of the frontal margin of the carapace (length and width of the rostrum and orbital teeth), it is somewhat intermediate between the Guinean material ( Holthuis 1951: fig. 19b) and the Principe material ( Crosnier & Forest 1966: fig. 28a). Interestingly, the shape and the proportions of the major chela are markedly different between the specimen of Holthuis (1951: fig. 19e) and that of Crosnier and Forest (1966: fig. 28b), the latter being much closer to our specimen from São Tomé. Holthuis (1951) noted that in all larger specimens he examined, the tubercle on the major chela was distally blunt and not pointed as is typical for S. senegambiensis , and Crosnier & Forest (1966) suspected that some of Holthuis’ material may actually be S. africanus . Among the western Atlantic species, S. apioceros is morphologically closest to S. senegambiensis .

Figures

FIGURE 52. Presently known geographic ranges of Synalpheus hoetjesi Hultgren, Macdonald & Duffy, 2010; S. idios (Ríos & Duffy, 2007); S. kensleyi (Ríos & Duffy, 2007); S. cf. longicarpus (Herrick, 1891); S. obtusifrons Chace, 1972; S. pandionis Coutière, 1909; S. parfaiti Coutière, 1898; S. pectiniger Coutière, 1909; S. rathbunae Coutière, 1909; S. regalis Duffy, 1996; S. sanctithomae Coutière, 1909; S. scaphoceris Coutière, 1910; S. senegambiensis Coutière, 1908; S. townsendi Coutière, 1909; S. ul (Ríos & Duffy, 2007) and S. yano (Ríos & Duffy, 2007).