Zuzalpheus pandionis ( Coutière, 1909 ) Ríos, Rubén & Duffy, J. Emmett, 2007

Ríos, Rubén & Duffy, J. Emmett, 2007, A review of the sponge‑dwelling snapping shrimp from Carrie Bow Cay, Belize, with description of Zuzalpheus, new genus, and six new species (Crustacea: Decapoda: Alpheidae), Zootaxa 1602 (1), pp. 1-89 : 52-55

Zuzalpheus pandionis ( Coutière, 1909) n. comb.

( Figs. 24–25 , Plate 4 )

Synalpheus pandionis Coutière, 1909:67 , fig. 39; Ríos 2003:128, figures 2–23 and 2–24, plate IV.

Synalpheus pandionis extentus Coutière, 1909:69 , fig. 40.

Material examined. (1) 5 syntypes ( USNM 38400 ) , 3 ♀ and 2 males, from off Saint Thomas, 6 February 1899, 20–23 fms .

(2) 1 ♂, 5.9 mm ( USNM 1019065 , VIMS 94CBC3302), 1 ovigerous ♀, 6.8 mm ( USNM 1019066 , VIMS 94CBC33-01), outer ridge of Carrie Bow Cay , Belize 23 August 1994, in Lissodendoryx cf. strongylata , 14 m .

(3) 1 ♂, 6.6 mm ( VIMS 95 CBC0502) , 1 ♀, 6.0 mm ( VIMS 95 CBC0502), outer ridge of Carrie Bow Cay , Belize, 21 June 1995, in Lissodendoryx cf. strongylata , 14 m .

(4) 1 ♂, 5.4 mm ( VIMS 95 CBC2002), 1 ovigerous ♀, 6.2 mm ( VIMS 95 CBC2001), outer ridge of Carrie Bow Cay , Belize, 23 June 1995, in Lissodendoryx cf. strongylata , 14 m .

(5) 1 ♂, 4.3 mm ( VIMS 98 CBC0101), fore-reef at South Water Caye , Belize, 3 December 1998, in Hymeniacidon amphilecta , 12 m .

Diagnosis. Body subcylindrical; carapace smooth, with pterygostomian corner produced into bluntly acute angle, and posterior margin with cardiac notch distinct. Rostrum in dorsal view lanceolate, about as long as ocular hoods, but clearly narrower; in lateral view, distally upturned, with a ventrally convex longitudinal septum behind the base. Latter not reaching beyond half the height of the eye. Inferior edge of ocular hoods converging to about half the height of each side of septum. Ocular hoods dorsally convex; in dorsal view, squarely rounded anteriorly, margins convex, separated from rostrum by deep adrostral sinus. Ocular processes produced into a broad structure on the lower half of eye. Ocellary beak in lateral view, truncate. Stylocerite slender; mesial margin slightly concave; tip acute; distinctly shorter than distal margin of first segment of antennular peduncle; this latter segment without ventromesial tooth, and with 2 basal ventral processes. Basicerite without spine on dorsolateral corner, and with longer ventrolateral spine not reaching distal half of third segment of antennular peduncle. Scaphocerite blade elongated, acute lateral spine robust, with lateral margin slightly concave, reaching about as far as lateral spine of basicerite; mesial projection at base of scaphocerite present. Maxilliped 3 with distal circlet of spines on distal segment and without ventrodistal spine on antepenultimate segment.

Major pereopod 1 massive, fingers clearly shorter than half length of palm; fixed finger reduced, noticeably shorter than dactyl; in ventral view, outer face of fixed finger with an obtuse basal protuberance. Palm of chela with distal superior margin produced into prominent tubercle with acute downwardly directed spine on its ventral face. Merus, extensor margin strongly convex, with distal angular projection.

Minor pereopod 1 with palm more than twice as long as high; fingers clearly shorter than palm; dactyl with flexor margin straight, blade-like, with terminal tooth flanked by smaller subdistal tooth; transverse dorsal setal combs on extensor surface of dactyl very conspicuous; fixed finger with flexor margin straight, blade-like, and subdistal accessory bump. Extensor margin of merus convex.

Pereopod 2 with carpus 5-segmented, about as long as merus.

Pereopod 3 stout; dactyl biunguiculate, with extensor tooth clearly more slender than flexor; merus without movable spines on flexor margin; mesial lamella on coxa present.

Pleura 1 of male with posterior corner acutely produced ventrally; second pleura of male produced into acute angle. Appendix interna on second to fifth male pleopods, present. Telson, space between distal spines about one-third of distal margin, frequently without conspicuous convex lobe. Ventral face of telson without anal flaps nor perianal setae, but with postanal setal brush. Uropods with 3–6 teeth on outer margin of exopod; mobile spine distinctly removed from wide fixed tooth.

Color ( Plate 4 ). Specimens from Lissodendoryx sp. were solid uniform bright orange-red, the color of mature papaya fruit, with fingers and distal palm of major chela more intense red-orange, and orange-red ovaries and embryos.

Variations. On rare occasions, the distal margin of both the ocular hoods and the ocellary beak are not completely straight but slightly concave. The most frequent number of fixed teeth on the uropod is 4, whereas 3 is very rare, and 5 or 6 are more common.

Hosts and ecology. Zuzalpheus pandionis was found living in heterosexual pairs, most frequently inside a bright orange-red sponge identified as Lissodendoryx cf. strongylata on the outer reef ridge. Other hosts include Agelas clathrodes , Hyattella intestinalis and Hymeniacidon amphilecta . Most of the samples came from 10–15 m deep.

Distribution. Western Atlantic: Bahamas ( Lemaitre 1984); Cuba (Martínez Iglesias and García Raso 1999); Virgin Islands (Coutère 1909; Chace 1972); Gulf of Mexico ( Dardeau 1984); Belize Barrier Reef (this study); San Blas Islands, Panama (J.E. Duffy unpublished). With the discovery of several new species closely related to Z. pandionis ( Table 1), the geographical boundaries of previous records under this name should be treated with caution.

Remarks. The original type series of Z. pandionis includes five specimens, all fragmented. Nevertheless, it was possible to confirm both their conspecificity and the series of characters that allow the distinction of this species ( Table 1). The most useful of these characters include: broad ocular hoods, ventral surface of rostrum with longitudinal posterior septum, fixed finger of major first chela with obtuse ventrolateral protuberance, and the shape of the uropodal exopod. Chace (1972) made Synalpheus grampusi a synonym of Z. pandionis ; he chose this name despite the page location of each name in the publication by Coutière (1909). That turned out to be an accurate decision, because (as Chace had remarked) the three specimens in the type series of S. grampusi seem to belong in two species: the two larger males, but not the smaller female, have a blade on the scaphocerite. Coutière (1909) distinguished S. pandionis from S. grampusi based largely on the presence of that blade. Considering that both the description and the illustration of S. grampusi lack the blade, it is most appropriate to maintain the name Z. pandionis for the species bearing a blade on the scaphocerite. The female in the type series of S. grampusi is further considered under the remarks for Zuzalpheus yano , n. sp.

Christoffersen’s (1979) synonymization of S. pandionis and S. longicarpus (Herrick) was discussed above under remarks for Z. longicarpus . These two species can be separated by several characters in Z. longicarpus ( Table 1), including the elongated ocular hoods, the reduced cardiac notch, the lack of basal protuberance on the fixed finger of the major chela, the stronger distal teeth on the dactyl of the smaller chela, and the much reduced spines on the dorsal surface of the telson.

The holotype of Synalpheus pandionis extentus Coutière (1909) does not look much different than some of the specimens from Belize and Panama, and for this reason the subspecies is considered here as a synonym of Z. pandionis . Furthermore, this female was apparently collected together with the type series of Z. pandionis .

Figures

PLATE 4. Zuzalpheus pandionis, female (VIMS 03CBC1701) from Lissodendoryx sp., Carrie Bow Cay, Belize. Zuzalpheus paraneptunus, female (VIMS 01CBC0704) from Oceanapia sp., Curlew Reef, Belize. Zuzalpheus pectiniger, female (VIMS 05FK1501) from Spheciospongia vesparium, Key Largo, Florida, USA. Zuzalpheus pectiniger, male (VIMS 05FK1502) from Spheciospongia vesparium, Key Largo, Florida, USA. Zuzalpheus regalis, female (VIMS 01CBC02) from Xestospongia cf. subtriangularis, Curlew Reef, Belize. Zuzalpheus ruetzleri, female (VIMS 01CBC6301) from Hymeniacidon caerulea, Sand Bores, Belize.

FIGURE 24. Zuzalpheus pandionis (Coutière 1909). Male 6.6 mm (VIMS 95CBC0502): a, anterior region of carapace and cephalic appendages, dorsal view; b, same, lateral view; c, same, alternate lateral view with cephalic appendages pushed down; d, chela of major first pereopod, lateral view; e, same, detail of distal portion, lateral view; f, same, tip of fixed finger, ventral view; g, telson and uropods, dorsal view. Scale bar = 1 mm for a, b, e, f, g, 0.7 mm for c, and 2 mm for d.

FIGURE 25. Zuzalpheus pandionis (Coutière 1909). Male 6.6 mm (VIMS 95CBC0502): a, minor first pereopod, lateral view; b, same, detail of distal portion (setal combs on dactyl omitted), alternate lateral view; c, right third pereopod; d, same, detail of distal portion; e, abdomen, lateral view. Ovigerous female 6.8 mm (USNM 1019066): f, abdomen showing one egg, lateral view. Scale bar = 1 mm for a, c, 1.3 mm for e, f, 0.5 mm for b, and 0.2 mm for d.