Processa fimbriata Manning & Chace, 1971

Grave, Sammy De, 2012, The genus Processa in the vicinity of Carrie Bow Cay (Belize) with description of a new species (Crustacea: Decapoda: Processidae), Zootaxa 3436, pp. 41-50 : 48-49

Processa fimbriata Manning & Chace, 1971

( Fig. 4 G–J)

Material examined. Female (pocl 2.6), rubble collection, 1–2 m deep, Carrie Bow Cay, 16º48.171’N 88º04.933’W, leg. S. De Grave et al., fcn CBC008, 20 Febr. 2009, OUMNH.ZC.2009-01-003; male (pocl 2.4), rubble collection, 1–2 m deep, Carrie Bow Cay, 16º48.171’N 88º04.933’W, leg. S. De Grave et al., fcn CBC020, 22 Febr. 2009, USNM 1180782; ov. female (pocl 3.3), from inside eroded conch shell, Twin Cay, 16º49.424’N 88º06.346’W, leg. S. De Grave et al., fcn CBC065, 20 Febr. 2009, OUMNH.ZC.2009-01-005; 4 ov. females (pocl 3.3–4.8), male (pocl 2.5), night sweep net over sparse seagrass bed, 1m deep, Carrie Bow Cay, 16º48.159’N 88º04.929’W, leg. S. De Grave et al., fcn CBC079, 20 Febr. 2009, OUMNH.ZC.2009-01-006; female (pocl 3.4), rubble collection on sparse seagrass bed, 1m deep, Twin Cays, 16º50.107’N 88º06.042’W, leg. S. De Grave et al., fcn CBC117, 22 Febr. 2009, 1180783; ov. female (pocl 3.4), night sweep net over sparse seagrass bed, 1m deep, Carrie Bow Cay, 16º48.159’N 88º04.929’W, leg. S. De Grave et al., fcn CBC135, 22 Febr. 2009, OUMNH.ZC.2009-01-008; 2 females (pocl 2.3, 2.4), inside eroded conch on Porites flat, 0.2 m deep, Carrie Bow Cay, 16º48.141’N 88º04.905’W, leg. S. De Grave et al., fcn CBC147, 23 Febr. 2009, 1180784; female (pocl 2.4), from rubble, Twin Cay, 16º50.074’N 88º06.467’W, leg. S. De Grave et al., fcn CBC174, 24 Febr. 2009, USNM 1180785; female (pocl 3.2), night sweep net over sparse seagrass bed, 1m deep, Carrie Bow Cay, 16º48.159’N 88º04.929’W, leg. S. De Grave et al., fcn CBC211, 24 Febr. 2009, OUMNH.ZC.2009-01-011; ov. female (pocl 4.1), inside eroded conch shell, Carrie Bow Cay, leg D. Felder et al., photo voucher, 0 4 Febr. 2007, ID H. Bracken ULLZ 13928; ov. female (pocl 4.0), 2 males (pocl 3.0, 3.2) from rotten wood and rubble, Twin Cays, leg D. Felder et al., 16 Febr. 2007, ID. H. Bracken, ULLZ 13929; ov. female (pocl 3.4), from rubble collection, 2–3m deep, patch reef area SSW of Carrie Bow Cay, leg D. Felder et al., photo voucher, 0 8 Apr. 2007, ULLZ 13926; ov. female (pocl 3.2), female (pocl 3.1), inside eroded conch shell, off dock, Carrie Bow Cay, leg D. Felder et al., photo voucher, 0 2 Apr. 2007, ID H. Bracken, ULLZ 13924; female (pocl 3.5), male (pocl 3.2), inside eroded conch shell, off dock, Carrie Bow Cay, leg D. Felder et al., 0 4 Apr. 2007, USNM 1180781; female (pocl 4.9), night sweep net over seagrass bed, leeward side of island, <1m deep, Carrie Bow Cay, 16º48.159’N 88º04.929’W, leg. D. Felder et al., photo voucher, 20 Febr. 2009, ULLZ 11104; 2 ov. females (pocl 4.0, 5.0), night sweep net over seagrass bed, <1m deep, Carrie Bow Cay, 16º48.159’N 88º04.929’W, leg. D. Felder et al., photo vouchers, 22 Febr. 2009, ULLZ 11129; ov. female (pocl 4.1), night push net over seagrass, inshore side of island, <1m deep, Carrie Bow Cay, leg. D. Felder et al., photo voucher, 0 8 Febr. 2011, ULLZ 12618; ov. female (pocl 4.9), male (pocl 3.6), night push net over seagrass, leeward side of island, 1m deep, Carrie Bow Cay, leg. D. Felder et al., photo vouchers, 0 8 Febr. 2011, ULLZ 12618; female (pocl 2.7), night push net over sparse seagrass bed, backreef area, <1m deep, Carrie Bow Cay, leg. D. Felder et al., photo voucher, 0 8 Febr. 2011, ULLZ 13923; 5 ov. females (pocl 3.9, 3.8, 3.3, 3.2, 2.9) night push net over seagrass, leeward side of island, 1m deep, Carrie Bow Cay, leg. D. Felder et al., photo vouchers, 0 8 Febr. 2011, ULLZ 13975.

Remarks. The specimens closely adhere to the morphological description by Manning & Chace (1971), except for a number of specimens having the posterolateral lobe of the sixth abdominal somite (above the articulation of the uropod) with the posterior margin bearing a distinct sharp spine, rather than being simply angular. The colour pattern in this species is noted by Manning & Chace (1971) as “no color markings of consequence, transparent, eyes black”. The colour pattern of the present material (Fig. 5) does show clear markings that appear to be diurnally influenced, even though much of the body is translucent or transparent. Specimens encountered during the day are much more transparent and do not exhibit the marked chromatophores in nightcaptured specimens. Such day-captured specimens could exemplify colour states referred to by Manning & Chace (1971), who reported the same or similar colour patterns in P. bermudensis , P. riveroi Manning & Chace, 1971 and Ambidexter symmetricus , all taken in samples from shallow seagrass beds in Puerto Rico. Christoffersen (1979) reported the colour pattern as “animals transparent with irregular transversal bands of scattered red chromatophores throughout body, eggs brown”. In our material such red bands were scarcely visible, with the more conspicuous transverse bands on the abdomen comprised of white, scattered chromatophores. However, observed on a white or light background, loosely defined bands of scattered red chromatophores are evident. Also, egg colour was ivory white to tan in our material, again raising the possibility of colour variation in this species, perhaps with stage of egg development. It should be noted, however, that previous accounts of colour patterns in Processidae might be expected to have limited diagnostic value given that observations were made without specifying time of day captured, or lighting conditions and background when observed. In addition, individual specimens upon which colour observations were based were not archived in ways that allow subsequent workers to confirm identities and sexes of colour vouchers. It is likely that colour will prove to be of greater diagnostic value among processed shrimp once conditions of observation and photography are standardized, ranges of variation are accounted for, and vouchering of subject specimens becomes more rigorous.

Manning & Chace (1971) reported many of their specimens from sponges, however most of our material originated from a shallow seagrass bed collected at night by sweep net, whilst day samples were from rubble or eroded conch shells. Day time sweep net samples on the seagrass bed did not yield any processid shrimp. It can thus be postulated that the species undergoes significant diurnal migrations onto and off seagrass beds, perhaps during day time hiding in available substrate interstices surrounding the beds, including in larger sponges.

Distribution. Widely distributed in the western Atlantic from North Carolina through to Atol das Rocas and Rio de Janeiro ( Manning & Chace, 1971; Christoffersen, 1979; Manning, 1992; Manning & Hart, 1991; De Grave et al., 2006), shallow water to 50 m. Not previously recorded from Belize.

Figures

FIGURE 4. A, B, Processa manningi, new species, South Water Cay, Belize, ov. female, pocl 6.6, 0 6 Febr. 2011, ULLZ 13922; C, Processa manningi, new species, South Water Cay, Belize, male (pocl 5.5), 0 6 Febr. 2011, ULLZ 13922; D, Processa manningi, new species, South Water Cay, Belize, male (pocl 5.7), 0 6 Febr. 2011, ULLZ 13922; E, Processa bermudensis, Carrie Bow Cay, Belize, ov. female (pocl 4.9), 20 Febr. 2009, ULLZ 13921; F, Processa bermudensis, Carrie Bow Cay, Belize, male (pocl 3.1), 0 8 Febr. 2011, ULLZ 12619; G, Processa fimbriata, Carrie Bow Cay, Belize, ov. female (pocl 5.0), 22 Febr. 2009, ULLZ 11129; H, I, Processa fimbriata, Carrie Bow Cay, Belize, ov. female (pocl 3.2), 0 2 Apr. 2007, ULLZ 13924; J, Processa fimbriata, Carrie Bow Cay, Belize, female (pocl 4.9), 20 Apr. 2009, ULLZ 11104.