Periclimenes rathbunae Schmitt, 1924

(Fig. 66, video 14)

Periclimenes rathbunae Schmitt, 1924 a: 70 (Curaçao); Schmitt 1936: 370 (Bonaire); Holthuis, 1951b: 58 (Curaçao, Bonaire); Criales 1980 (Curaçao); Brinkmann & Fransen 2016: 438, 446 (Bonaire, Curaçao); Hoeksema & Fransen 2017: 607 (Curaçao); Poupin 2018: 110 (Sint Maarten).

Material examined. Curaçao: RMNH. CRUS.D.58250: 2 specimens; stn CAR.14, Vaersenbaai, 12°09.678′N 68°00.23′′W, 11.iv.2014, depth unknown, scuba diving, on sea anemone, collected by C. Rauch. OUMNH: several specimens, stn C2, Curaçao, Kokomo Beach, 26.ii.2015, depth unknown, on Stichodactyla helianthus (Ellis, 1768), collected by Peter Wirtz. Stn CF09A, Hilton reef, 9.vi.2017, depth 2 m, scuba diving, on S. helianthus, C.H.J.M. Fransen (video 14), not collected. Stn CF10B, St. Michielsbaai, 10.vi.2017, depth 5 m, scuba diving, on S. helianthus, C.H.J.M. Fransen (video 14), not collected. RMNH. CRUS.D.58251: 1 ovigerous female, pocl. 2.8 mm; stn CF14A- 1, Playa Kalki, 14.vi.2017, depth 5 m, on S. helianthus, collected by C.H.J.M. Fransen. RMNH. CRUS.D.58252: 1 juvenile, pocl. 1.8 mm; stn CF14A-3, Playa Kalki, 14.vi.2017, depth 20 m, scuba diving, on M. meandrites, collected by C.H.J.M. Fransen (video 14). RMNH. CRUS.D.58253: 1 non ovigerous female, pocl. 3.9 mm; stn CF16B-2, Blue Bay, 16.vi.2017, depth 3 m, scuba diving, on Condylactis gigantea (Weinland, 1860), collected by C.H.J.M. Fransen (video 14). OUMNH. ZC. 2019-06-24: 1 female, pocl. 3.0 mm; Vaersenbaai (= Kokomo Beach), 12°9′37.8″N 69°0′20.52″W, depth 39 m, 26.ii.2015, from S. helianthus, leg. P. Wirtz & K. Wittman (fcn. 31). Bonaire: RMNH. CRUS.D.58254: 1 specimen; stn BON.12, Kai (Lac), 12°06.255′N 068°13.347′W, 27.x.2019, depth 0.5 m, snorkeling, on S. helianthus, collected by C.H.J.M. Fransen (video 14). Stn BON.14, Bari, 12°10.036′N 068°17.219′W, 28.x.2019, depth 12 m, scuba diving, on Dendrogyra cylindrus (Ehrenberg, 1834), C.H.J.M. Fransen (photo), not collected. Stn BON.21, Something Special (Pali Grande), 12°09.696′N 068°17.016′W, 31.x.2019, depth 8 m, scuba diving, C. gigantea, C.H.J.M. Fransen (video 14), not collected. RMNH. CRUS.D.58255: 1 specimen; stn BON.22, Kai (Lac), 12°06.183′N 068°13.333′W, 31.x.2019, depth 1 m, snorkeling, on S. helianthus, collected by W. de Gier. RMNH. CRUS.D.58256: 1 specimen; stn BON.27, Red Slave, 12°01.592′N 068°15.063′W, 3.xi.2019, depth 1 m, scuba diving, collected by M.A. Faasse. Stn BON.29, Front Porch, 12°09,904′N 068°17,194′W, 04.xi.2019, depth 10 m, scuba diving, on D. cylindrus, C.H.J.M. Fransen (video 14), not collected. Stn BON.33, Invisibles, 12°04,646′N 068°16,800′W, xi.2019, depth 5 m, scuba diving, on D. cylindrus, C.H.J.M. Fransen (video 14), not collected.

Ecology. Known to live in association with sea anemones: Actinoporus elegans Duchassaing, 1850, Bartholomea annulata (Lesueur, 1817), B. granulifer (Lesueur, 1817), C. gigantea, Homostichanthus duerdeni Carlgren, 1900, L. neglecta, L. lucida; with S. helianthus as preferred host (Silbiger & Childress 2008; De Grave & Anker 2017; Brooker et al. 2019). Occasionally found in association with the stony corals D. cylindrus (cf. Brinkmann & Fransen 2016) and Mussa angulosa (Pallas, 1766) (García-Hernández & Schizas 2021), the corallimorpharian Ricordea florida Duchassaing & Michelotti, 1860 (Ritson-Williams & Paul 2007), on the gorgonian E. tourneforti Milne- Edwards & Haime, 1857 (Criales 1980) and on the sea slug Elysia crispata Mörch, 1863 (Hoeksema & Fransen 2017). Herein for the first time recorded from the stony coral M. meandrites .

Distribution. Widely distributed in shallow waters of the tropical western Atlantic; usually in depth between 0 and 5 m, rarer in depths to 20 m (De Grave & Anker 2017).