Zuzalpheus carpenteri ( Macdonald and Duffy, 2006 ) 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 : 15-16

Zuzalpheus carpenteri ( Macdonald and Duffy, 2006) n. comb.

( Plate 2 )

Synalpheus bousfieldi (in part), in Dardeau 1984: USNM 189150, fig. 10.

Synalpheus “ bousfieldi A”: Morrison et al. 2004; Macdonald et al. 2006.

Material examined. ( 1) Holotype: ♂, ( USNM 1092295 , original VIMS 04CBC4201), 3.32 mm, Long Reef , Belize, 16 March 2004, in Agelas clathrodes Schmidt, 1870 , 5 m.

( 2) Allotype: ♀, ( USNM 1092296 , original VIMS 04CBC4202), 3.86 mm, Long Reef , Belize, in same individual A. clathrodes as holotype.

(3) Paratypes: 1 ♀, ( AMNH 18492 , original VIMS 04CBC4203), 3.01 mm, Long Reef , Belize, in same individual A. clathrodes as holotype . 1 ♂ ( AMNH 18493 , original VIMS 04CBC4305), 2.74 mm, Long Reef , Belize, 16 March 2004, in A. clathrodes , 5 m .

(4) 2 ♀ ( VIMS 90 CBC2002, 90CBC2003), 2.4 mm, 2.9 mm , 2 ♂ ( VIMS 90 CBC2004, 90CBC2010), 2.2 mm, 2.3 mm, outer ridge at Carrie Bow Cay , Belize, 9 December 1990, in Agelas dispar , 16 m .

(5) 1 ♀ ( VIMS 96 CBC1801), 3.0 mm , 1 ♂ ( VIMS 96 CBC1802), 2.6 mm, spur and groove reef at Carrie Bow Cay , Belize, 14 June 1996, in Agelas dispar , 4 m .

(6) 2 ♀ ( VIMS 93 CBC3701, 93CBC3704), 3.3 mm, 3.7 mm , 2 ♂ ( VIMS 93 CBC3702, 93CBC3705), 3.5 mm, 3.1 mm, fore-reef at Carrie Bow Cay , Belize, 23 March 1993, in Agelas clathrodes , 5– 8 m .

Diagnosis. Body subcylindrical; carapace smooth, sparsely setose, with pterygostomian corner produced into bluntly acute angle, posterior margin with cardiac notch distinct. Rostrum longer than orbital hood, distinctly narrower, distally upturned; margins in dorsal view, straight. Orbitorostral process absent. Ocular hoods dorsally convex; in dorsal view, bluntly acute, separated from rostrum by deep adrostral sinus. Ocular process triangular, flanged posteriorly onto lower side of eye. Ocellary beak in lateral view not rod-like, broader at base. Stylocerite acute, with blunt tip; mesial margin concave; reaching midpoint of first segment of antennular peduncle. First antennular segment without ventromesial tooth, and with two basal ventral pro- cesses. Basicerite without spine on dorsomesial corner, with longer ventrolateral spine, not reaching third segment of antennular peduncle. Scaphocerite blade absent, acute lateral spine robust, with lateral margin slightly concave, slightly surpassing basicerite spine, not reaching third segment of antennular peduncle; mesial projection at base of scaphocerite present. Third maxilliped with distal circlet of spines on distal segment, without ventrodistal spine on antepenultimate segment.

Major pereopod 1 massive, fingers clearly shorter than half length of palm; fixed finger slightly shorter than dactyl. Palm of chela with distal superior margin protuberance, which is secondarily produced distally, directed slightly downward, toward dactyl.

Minor pereopod 1 with palm clearly less than two times longer than high; fingers clearly shorter than palm; dactyl with flexor margin concave, blade-like, terminating in two distinct distal teeth, subequal in length; transverse dorsal setal combs on dactyl, very conspicuous; fixed finger with flexor margin straight, blade-like, terminating in two distinct teeth subequal in length.

Pereopod 2 with carpus 5-segmented, subequal in length to merus. Both fingers terminating in a narrow, curved tooth.

Pereopod 3 slender; dactyl biunguiculate, with flexor tooth clearly thicker than extensor, mesial margin of flexor tooth strongly convex; propodus with row of 6 movable spines on flexor margin and one pair of distal movable spines flanking base of dactylus; carpus with distal movable spine on flexor margin; merus almost 4 times longer than wide, without movable spines on flexor margin; mesial lamella on coxa present. Pereopod 4 similar to third, slightly weaker. Pereopod 5 weaker than fourth; propodus with only 3 spines on flexor margin, and 4 transverse combs of stout setae on ventral face; carpus without distal spine.

Pleura 1 of male with posterior corner distinctly produced ventrally into small, anteriorly directed hook; second pleura of male broadly rounded; third to fifth pleura of male progressively acute, but not pointed. Pleopod 1 of male, with 2 terminal setae on endopod; second pleopod of male with marginal setae on exopod originating in distal 2/3; appendix interna present on second to fifth male pleopods. Pleopod 2 of female, with marginal setae on exopod originating in distal 1/3; appendix interna present on second to fifth male pleopods. Telson length 3/4 width of proximal margin; marginal convex lobe present; posterior corners adjacent to spines obtuse. Anal flaps, perianal setae, and postanal setal brush absent. Uropods with a single fixed tooth on outer margin of exopod distinctly removed from the movable one, the latter slightly longer and more slen- der than adjacent inner fixed tooth.

Color ( Plate 2 ). Faint to bright orange in overall appearance, distal palm and fingers of major chela more intensely orange. Ovaries and embryos brilliant orange.

Hosts and ecology. Like Zuzalpheus agelas , Z. carpenteri is evidently a specialist on sponges of the genus Agelas , usually occurring as one or a few heterosexual pairs within an individual sponge. In Belize we have collected it from both Agelas clathrodes and Agelas dispar , at depths ranging from 1.5– 20 m.

Distribution. Western Atlantic: Bahamas (as S. bousfieldi, Dardeau 1984 ); San Blas Islands, Panama (J.E. Duffy, unpublished); Belize Barrier Reef (this study).

Remarks. Z. carpenteri is one of a complex of several closely related and morphologically quite similar species that includes Z. brooksi , Z. idios n. sp., Z. bousfieldi , Z. chacei , and likely other undescribed taxa (e.g., Morrison et al. 2004). Based on his figures 7–10 and description, Dardeau’s (1984) specimens of S. “ bousfieldi ” from Agelas in the Bahamas and possibly in the Florida Middle Ground (Gulf of Mexico) are probably assignable to Z. carpenter i.

Figures

PLATE 2. Zuzalpheus carpenteri, female (VIMS 04CBC4202) from Agelas clathrodes, Long Reef, Belize. Zuzalpheus carpenteri, male (VIMS 04CBC4201) from Agelas clathrodes, Long Reef, Belize. Zuzalpheus chacei, female (VIMS 01CBC1101) from Lissodendoryx cf. strongylata, Curlew Reef, Belize. Zuzalpheus dardeaui, female (VIMS 01CBC7407) from Lissodendoryx colombiensis, Twin Cays, Belize. Zuzalpheus dardeaui, male (VIMS 01CBC706) from Lissodendoryx colombiensis, Twin Cays, Belize. Zuzalpheus elizabethae, female (VIMS 03CBC0801) from Lissodendoryx sp., Carrie Bow Cay, Belize.