Hippolyte californiensis Holmes, 1895

Wicksten, Mary K., 2012, Decapod Crustacea of the Californian and Oregonian Zoogeographic Provinces 3371, Zootaxa 3371, pp. 1-307 : 69-71

Hippolyte californiensis Holmes, 1895

( Fig. 17A–D)

Hippolyte californiensis Holmes, 1895: 576 , figs. 21–26; 1900: 193. — Rathbun 1904: 56. — Schmitt 1921: 48, fig. 26. — Johnson & Snook 1927: 304. — Holthuis 1947: 14. — Chace 1951: 35, fig. 1 (part); 1997: 46. — MacGinitie & MacGinitie 1968: 273. — Word & Charwat 1976: 135. — Chace & Abbott 1980: 573, fig. 23.9.— Wicksten 1983b: 23, fig. 3; 1990b: 589. — Ricketts et al. 1985: 305. — Jensen 1995: 49, fig. 86. — Wicksten & Hendrickx 2003: 67. — Qurioz- Vázquez et al. 2005: 104. — Kuris et al. 2007: 638, pl. 318 H1.

Hippolyte mexicana Chace, 1937: 127 , fig. 6.

Diagnosis (modified from Chace 1951). Female: length of rostrum exceeding that of antennular peduncle, reaching or slightly exceeding that of scaphocerite, with 3–5 dorsal, 3–5 ventral teeth, apex bifid. Carapace with supraorbital, antennal, branchiostegal teeth. One or 2 spines on first segment of antennular peduncle. Stylocerite not reaching end of first segment of antennular peduncle, peduncle shorter than scaphocerite. Third maxilliped with exopod, no epipod. No epipods on pereopods. Pereopod 1 particularly short, stout. Pereopod 2 with 3 carpal articles, length of article 1 more than twice length of article 2, length of article 2 approximately 0.75 times length of article 3. Pereopods 3–5 with short, spinose dactyls. Merus of pereopod 3 with 3–5 spines, carpus with 1 spine. propodus with margins more or less straight, dactyl armed with three long, stout spinules, 10–13 long, slender spinules on flexor margin. Merus of pereopod 4, with 3 spines; carpus with 1 spine. Merus, carpus of pereopod 5 with 1 spine each. Propodus, dactyl of pereopods 4, 5 similar to those of pereopod 3. Abdominal somite 3 produced into low, rounded cap over abdominal somite 4, pleuron of somite 5 without point. Abdominal somite 6, 1.75 times as long as length of somite 5, as long as telson in female but shorter in male. Telson with 2 pairs lateral spines, 6–7 terminal spinules. Length of uropods greater than length of telson. Male: rostrum shorter than scaphocerite, more slender than in female, with 3–5 dorsal, 0–5 ventral teeth. Pereopod 3 with propodus expanded in distal half, dactyl armed with numerous spinules on flexor margin. Total length to 40 mm.

Color in life. Camouflaged like sea grasses: bright green, striped with tan, mottled brown, and similar colors.

Habitat and depth. In shallow areas of sandy bays, usually among sea grasses, Zostera sp.

Range. Humboldt Bay , California to Santa Inez Bay , Gulf of California . Type locality Bodega Bay , California .

Remarks. The northern range limit of this species is uncertain. Rathbun (1904) gave the northern range limit of this species as Sitka, Alaska, but the remarks by Schmitt (1921) suggest that she confused H. californiensis with H. clarki . Butler (1980) and Jensen (1995) reported the northern limit as Sheep Bay, Alaska, but Chace (1951) and Chace & Abbott (1980) gave it as Bodega Bay, California. Chace & Abbott (1980: 574) suggested that H. clarki replaces H. californiensis "in the Pacific northwest.” I have collected this species in Humboldt Bay, California, and so give that bay as the northern range limit. This species might occur in bays in Oregon, where Zostera grows.