Synalpheus sanctithomae Coutière, 1909

Hultgren, Kristin M., Macdonald Iii, Kenneth S. & Duffy, J. Emmett, 2010, Sponge-dwelling snapping shrimps of Curaçao, with descriptions of three new species *, Zootaxa 2372 (1), pp. 221-262 : 251

Synalpheus sanctithomae Coutière, 1909

(Pl. 5F)

Material examined. Curaçao: 1 ov. female, 1 non-ov. individual ( VIMS 08CU11401), Caracas Baai, from the canals of Agelas cf. clathrodes . 1 ov. female ( VIMS 08CU3304), Caracas Baai, from the canals of Hymeniacidon caerulea . 2 ov. females, 3 non-ov. individuals ( VIMS 08CU12101, 12702), Eastpunt, from the canals of A. cf. clathrodes . 1 individual ( VIMS 08CU12601), Eastpunt, from the canals of Xestospongia sp. “soft”. 1 ov. female ( VIMS 08CU201), Piscadera Baai, from the canals of A. cf. clathrodes . 1 individual ( VIMS 08CU305), Piscadera Baai, from the canals of Hyattella intestinalis . 1 ov. female, 1 non-ov. individual ( VIMS 08CU1501–2), Piscadera Baai, from the canals of Xestospongia subtriangularis . 3 individuals ( VIMS 08CU8703), Piscadera Baai east, from the canals of A. cf. clathrodes . 1 individual ( VIMS 08CU7401), Scary Steps, from the canals of H. caerulea . 2 ov. females ( VIMS 08CU7701), Scary Steps, from the canals of X. sp. “soft”. 1 ov. female, 1 non-ov. individual ( VIMS 08CU7801), Scary Steps, from the canals of X. subtriangularis . 1 individual ( VIMS 08CU5003), Westpunt, near or in a webby white and purple sponge in coral rubble. 1 ov. female, 2 non-ov. individuals ( VIMS 08CU5803, 5903–4), Westpunt, in the canals of H. intestinalis . 1 ov. female, 1 non-ov. individual ( VIMS 08CU5401–2), Westpunt, from the canals of H. intestinalis . Largest ov. female, CL 3.9 mm, largest non-ov. individual, CL 3.2 mm.

Color. Body typically orange, sometimes with orange-tipped chelae; females with ovaries ranging from green to greenish-brown and embryo color ranging from orange, to green, to olive-brown.

Hosts and ecology. In Curaçao, Synalpheus sanctithomae is found in a range of different sponges, most commonly in Agelas cf. clathrodes , Hyattella intestinalis , Hymeniacidon caerulea , and Xestospongia subtriangularis , typically in heterosexual pairs. In Belize, S. sanctithomae is found in A. cf. clathrodes , H. intestinalis , and H. caerulea (Macdonald et al. 2006) .

Distribution. Florida ( Gore 1981); Virgin Islands ( Coutière 1909); Belize (Macdonald et al. 2006; Rios & Duffy 2007); Jamaica ( Macdonald et al. 2009); Curaçao (this study); Brazil ( Christofferson 1979).

Remarks. Although Synalpheus sanctithomae has been distinguished from the closely related species Synalpheus mcclendoni by the number of distal telson setae (10 or more in S. mcclendoni , <6 in S. sanctithomae ; Rios & Duffy 2007), this character varied slightly in S. sanctithomae collected in Curaçao (2–7 distal telson setae), sometimes among individuals inhabiting the same individual sponge. In addition, some individuals had a row of setae on the dactyl of their major chela.