Synalpheus fritzmuelleri Coutière, 1909

Hermoso-Salazar, Margarita & Solís-Weiss, Vivianne, 2010, Distribution and morphological variation of Synalpheus superus Abele and Kim, 1989 and notes on the distribution of S. fritzmuelleri Coutière, 1909 (Decapoda: Caridea: Alpheidae), Zootaxa 2505, pp. 65-68 : 66-67

Synalpheus fritzmuelleri Coutière, 1909

Synalpheus fritzmuelleri Coutière, 1909: 35 , fig. 18. Schmitt, 1935: 148. Williams, 1965: 69, fig. 56; 1984: 102, Fig. 70. Chace, 1972: 92. Coelho & Ramos, 1972: 150. Christoffersen, 1979: 341. Rodríguez, 1980: 153. Wicksten, 1983: 36. Abele & Kim, 1986: 20, 203, 227, figs. a-c. Vargas & Cortés, 1999: 882.

Material examined: USA: Marco, Florida, 1 male, 3 females (1 ovig.), lectotypes, ( USNM 041744). México: Veracruz: Hornos Reef, 1 male,1 ovig. female, ( SMIOM 01309), depth: 0.5 m, rock coral, 15 Nov. 1986, 19°11´40´´N, 96°07´22´´W, Enmedio Island, 1 male, 2 ovig. females ( SMIOM 01264), depth: 1 m, rock coral, 31-July-1986, 19°06´05´´N, 95° 56´19´´W; Campeche: Triángulos Reef, 1 male, 1 ovig. female ( SMIOM 03491), depth: 1.7 m, rock coral, 24 Feb. 1989, 20°57´31´´N, 92°18´27´´W; Cayo Arcas, 6 females (2 ovig.) ( SMIOM 03482), depth: 1 m, rock coral, 21 Feb. 1989, 20°12´18´´N, 91°57´40´´W; Yucatán: Alacranes Reef, Pérez Island, 5 females (2 ovig.) ( SMIOM 03102), depth: 0.2 m, rock coral, 24 Oct. 1987, 22°22´59´´N, 89°41´02´´W, 1 ovig. female ( SMIOM 03040), depth: 1.0 m, rock coral, 26 Oct. 1987, 22°22´59´´N, 89°41´02´´W, 2 ovig. females ( SMIOM 03104), depth: 0.8 m, rock coral, 22 Oct. 1987, 22°22´37´´N, 89°39´37´´W.

Type Locality: Marco, Florida, USA.

Habitat: Variety of habitats, among sponges, corals, rocks, occasionally as epibiont on turtles; from intertidal zones to 75 m depth ( Christoffersen 1979; Wicksten 1983).

Previous records from Mexico: Gulf of California: Baja California ( Coutière 1909). Gulf of Mexico: Veracruz: Lobos Island ( Ray 1974; Hernández Aguilera et al. 1996), Verde Island ( Morales-García 1986; Hernández Aguilera et al. 1996), Sacrificios Island ( Morales-García 1987; Hernández Aguilera et al. 1996), Hornos Reef ( Hernández Aguilera et al. 1996), Arrecife de Enmedio ( White 1982; Hernández Aguilera et al. 1996), Santiaguillo Island; Campeche: Triángulos Reef, Cayo Arcas ( Hernández Aguilera et al. 1996); Yucatan: Blanca Island and Pérez Island, Alacranes Reef ( Martínez-Guzmán et al. 1989; Hernández Aguilera et al. 1996). Caribbean coast of Mexico: Quintana Roo: Cozumel, Ascensión and Espíritu Santo Bays ( Chace 1972).

Distribution: Western Atlantic: from North Carolina to Brazil; Central Atlantic: Ascensión, Saint-Paul’s Rocks, Saint Helena ( Wicksten & Hendrickx 2003 and references therein).

Remarks: According to Coutière (1909) and Wicksten & Hendrickx (2003), S. fritzmuelleri is the only amphi-American species of the genus Synalpheus . Coutière (1909) examined a male from Baja California (without specifying the exact locality) that was morphologically similar to S. fritzmuelleri from Florida. This specimen was deposited in the Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle in Paris (MNHN), but could not be located there. Wicksten (1983) in her monograph of the caridean shrimps of the Gulf of California did not examine material of this species only citing Coutière’s (1909) record. On the other hand, we examined the specimens of S. fritzmuelleri recorded by Hernández Aguilera et al. (1986) from Isla María Madre and found that they are actually S. nobilii Coutière, 1909 . Therefore, S. fritzmuelleri should be removed from the list of the eastern Pacific alpheids.