Alpheus floridanus Kingsley, 1878

Bracken-Grissom, Heather D. & Felder, Darryl L., 2014, Provisional revision of American snapping shrimp allied to Alpheus floridanus Kingsley, 1878 (Crustacea: Decapoda: Alpheidae) with notes on A. floridanus africanus, Zootaxa 3895 (4), pp. 451-491 : 453-460

Alpheus floridanus Kingsley, 1878

( Figures 1 a–g, 3a–o, 4a–h, 5a–d)

Alpheus floridanus Kingsley 1878a: 193 (part, female syntype only).

Alpheus floridanus— Kingsley 1878b: 58; (?) Kingsley 1882: 123, plate II, fig. 8; Kingsley 1899: 717 (part); Lockington 1878: 468, 467 (part, Florida and Virgin Islands); Chace 1972: 65, fig. 17 a–e (part, Guadeloupe); Abele & Kim 1986: 199, 214–215, figs. i–k; Williams et al. 1989: front cover, 15, fig. 1; Karplus 1992: 275–290, fig. 1c; McLaughlin et al. 2005: 219, 542 fig. 1; Randall et al. 2005: 119–127, figs. 2–5, 7; Felder et al. 2009: 1057, 1091 (part, Atlantic coast of Florida). Alpheus Floridanus— Coutière 1899: 29.

Type material. Florida: lectotype: 1 female, cl 7.5 mm ( MCZ 4987), Dry Tortugas, channel north of Fort Jefferson, 16 m, Lt. W. H. Jacques.

Additional material. Florida: 1 male ( ULLZ 3560), 1 ovig. female ( ULLZ 5631), Ft. Pierce Inlet, sand bar with sea grass, yabby pump, 0–1 m, 21 July 1985, D. Felder and R. Manning; 1 ovig. female ( ULLZ 5853), Ft. Pierce Inlet, North Inlet Park, 19 July 2002, D. Felder et al.; 1 male ( ULLZ 5859), Ft. Pierce Inlet, South AIA Highway, mudflat, 25 March 1997, D. Felder; 1 female ( ULLZ 6207), 1 male ( ULLZ 6208), 1 female ( ULLZ 6373), 1 ovig. female ( ULLZ 6376), 3 males, 2 females ( ULLZ 9581), 2 males, 1 female ( ULLZ 10569), Ft. Pierce Inlet, South AIA Highway, sandy mud grassflat, 0–1 m, 25 July 2005, D. Felder et al.; 1 ovig. female ( ULLZ 5852), Ft. Pierce Inlet, Coon Island Channel, 0–1 m, 30 July 2001, D. Felder et al.; 1 ovig. female ( ULLZ 5856), Ft. Pierce Inlet, Little Jim Island, 0–1 m, 24 July 1995, D. Felder et al.; 1 male ( ULLZ 5854), Ft. Pierce Inlet, 16 July 2004, D. Felder et al.; 1 male, 2 females (1 ovig.) ( USNM 221845), Key Biscayne, West Side Flats, 28 May 1988, R. Lemaitre and R. Manning. Mexico (SW Gulf of Mexico): 1 male, ( ULLZ 6203), Campeche Banks, 20°48.50’N, 92°20.35’W, stn NSF-II-043, dredge, R/V Pelican, mud, 55– 54 m, 10 June 2005, D. Felder et al. Caribbean Sea: 1 ovig. female ( ULLZ 11128), Belize, Carrie Bow Cay, 18–25 February 2009, D. Felder et al.; 1 ovig. female ( ULLZ 12691), Panama, off Bocas Del Toro, dredge, 2004, R. Collin; 5 males, 3 ovig. females ( USNM 135952), Guadeloupe, Pointe-à-Pitre, flats between Monroux and Rat Island, Smithsonian Bredin Expedition stn. 68–56, sandy mudflat, 30–31 March 1956, F. Chace and D. Nicholson. Brazil: 1 male ( USNM 310856), Central American Expedition, stn. 1577, July–August 1972, A. Child et al., 1 ovig. female ( MZUSP 05322), Ponta de Pedra, PE, 30 August 1970, coll. P. Montouchet, det. Christoffersen 3 March 1983; 1 ovig. female ( MZUSP 25380), Baja de Sepetiba, 22°55’66”S, 43°50’84”W, 0 5 September 1996, coll. Elaine F. Albuquerque., det. M. Tavares.

Emended description (based on lectotype unless otherwise indicated). Carapace with narrow, acute rostrum not exceeding first article of antennular peduncle, shallow median postrostral carina extending onto anterior 1/4 of carapace, flanked anteriorly by adrostral furrows reaching posteriorly to base of eyes ( Figs. 3 a, b; 4a, b, c); orbital hoods ovate, barely exceeding eye, unarmed; anterolateral margin of carapace weakly swollen adjacent to orbital hoods; pterygostomial angle slightly rounded (left side damaged in lectotype) ( Fig. 4 c); cardiac notch deep.

Antennular peduncle first article with large ventromesial carina ending in acute tooth; first article about 2.7 times length of width, second article similar, third article about 1.4 length of width ( Figs. 3 a, b); mesial flagellum narrower than lateral, distal ½ of lateral bearing aesthetascs (broken in lectotype) stylocerite broad, lamellate, tapering to sharp tip, not overreaching distal margin of first article. Antenna with stout basicerite bearing strong, sharp, ventrolateral tooth; antennal scale (scaphocerite) (right broken in lectotype) long, lateral margin distinctly concave, distolateral spine prominent, extending distinctly beyond rounded anterior margin of blade, overreaching antennular peduncle by at least twice length of third article, distinctly overreaching carpocerite ( Figs. 3 a, b; 4a, b, c).

Mandible incisor process with 9 well-developed teeth distributed along full width of cutting edge, central tooth enlarged ( Fig. 3 c); molar process rounded, blunt; palp two-segmented Maxillule, maxilla, first and second maxilliped typical for genus (3d–g). Third maxilliped exopod long, slender, setose, not extending beyond antepenultimate article of endopod ( Fig. 3 h); endopod terminal article flattened, spatulate, heavily covered in thick setae; penultimate article broadening distally, bearing tuft of lengthy setae extending from ventrodistal lip; antepenultimate article quadrate, sparsely setose.

First pereopods (chelipeds) unequal in size and shape ( Figs. 3 i, j, k; 4a, d, e, f); major cheliped (broken between carpus and propodus in lectotype) ischium short; merus subrectangular, ventral surface flattened, eight movable spines and fringe of setae along ventromesial margin; carpus cup-shaped, small subacute tooth protruding from ventromesial margin; major chela subrectangular in outline, laterally compressed, elongate, lacking depressions or grooves, margins sparsely setose, chela length about 3.9 times height, propodus length about 2.9 times length of dactylus, mesial and lateral surface of palm smooth; dactylus sparsely setose, rounded distally. Minor cheliped ischium short; merus subrecatangular, ventral surface flattened, six movable spines and fringe of setae along ventromesial margin; carpus stout, cup-shaped; chela slender, long, lacking depressions or grooves, chela length about 5.7 times height, palm smooth, about 1.6 times as long as dactylus, linea impressa inconspicuous, fingers with long marginal setae, tips slightly crossing.

Second pereopod (missing on both sides in lectotype, description based on ULLZ 6207) slender, ischium equal in length to merus; carpus composed of five articles with length ratio 1:1:1:2.3:2 (distal to proximal); chela simple, fingers slightly longer than palm, sparsely setose distally ( Fig. 5 a). Third pereopod robust, ischium armed with movable spine on ventrolateral surface ( Fig. 5 b); merus about twice as long as carpus; propodus slightly longer than carpus, five robust movable spines on ventrolateral margin ( Fig. 3 l) and fringe of setae along distoventral margin; dactylus simple, spatulate, slightly curved. Fourth pereopod similar to third, shorter and more slender ( Fig. 5 c); propodus with four movable spines along ventrolateral surface ( Fig. 3 m). Fifth pereopod more slender than third and fourth ( Fig. 5 d); ischium lacking movable spine; merus and carpus subequal in length; propodus (missing in lectotype, description based on ULLZ 6207) with of tufts of thick setae and fringe of comb-like setae along distoventral surface, lacking movable spines; dactylus (missing in lectotype, description based on ULLZ 6207) simple, curved, subtriangular, narrowing to acute tip.

First to fourth abdominal somites in males (based on ULLZ 6208) with posterolateral angle of pleura rounded to weakly angular ( Fig. 4 a). Male second pleopod with appendix masculina slightly overreaching appendix interna ( Fig. 4 h). Telson (broken in lectotype ( Fig. 3 o), description based mainly on ULLZ 3560) slightly tapering, length about twice as long as wide (measured medially); two pairs of dorsal movable spines, anterior pair inserted near 3/ 10, posterior pair near 6/10 length of telson; posterolateral margin broadly rounded, each posterolateral angle with two small movable spines, mesial larger than lateral ( Fig. 4 i). Uropodal exopod subequal in length to telson and endopod, lateral margin produced with subacute tooth adjacent to strong movable lateral spine; endopod broadly subovate, subequal in length to telson.

Gill formula typical for genus, including well-developed arthrobranch on third maxilliped, mastigobranchs on coxae of third maxilliped and first to fourth pereopods, and setobranchs on coxae of first to fifth pereopod.

Color pattern ( Fig. 1 a–h). Abdominal somites strikingly marked by short longitudinal bars of interconnecting chromatophores of varied olive green, brown, maroon, or orange pigmentation; gastric region of carapace with broken median stripe of similar pigment framed one to several pairs of crescents of short diagonal bars to either side; chelae heavily mottled with patches of similar color often arranged into ill-defined “banks” on palm; meri of pereopods 3–5 typically with distal band of reddish-orange to maroon framed by pale yellow to yellow-green proximally and distally; carpi and propodi commonly diffuse pale yellow to yellow green, sometimes with weaker darker bands; overall greenish background color of specimens from shallow grassbeds ranges to lighter chalky colors overlain by orange to pale brown patterns in specimens from calcareous sands and muds; fresh eggs pale to bright yellow.

Size. The largest examined male at cl 11.0 mm, tl 29.0 mm ( ULLZ 6203); largest examined female at cl 15.0 mm, tl 40.0 mm ( USNM 221845); egg diameter 0.4–0.7 mm.

Habitat. Most specimens were collected with a hand-operated suction or “yabby” pump from burrows in muddy sand of intertidal and shallow subtidal seagrass beds; the lectotype was collected at 16 m depth, while the deepest record of A. floridanus based on the present material is a specimen from Campeche Banks dredged from muddy bottom at 55– 54 m depth.

Distribution. Western Atlantic: from southeastern (Atlantic) coast of Florida (off Ft. Pierce) to southwestern Gulf of Mexico (off Yucatan Peninsula, Campeche Banks), Brazil, and Caribbean Sea.

Type locality. Eastern Gulf of Mexico, Dry Tortugas, channel north of Fort Jefferson.

Remarks. In addition to its unique and distinctive color pattern, Alpheus floridanus can be distinguished from A. hephaestus sp. nov., A. platycheirus , and A. floridanus africanus by the longer antennal scale (distinctly overreaching the third article of the antennular peduncle vs. not or barely overreaching the third article of the antennular peduncle, see taxonomic key), and from A. roblesi sp. nov. by the shape of the antennal scale (not distinctly sinuous vs. sinuous). Morphologically, A. floridanus is most similar to A. ulalae sp. nov., but the former species has more numerous and conspicuous movable spines on the propodus of the third and fourth pereopods.

Additional differences between present materials of A. floridanus and A. ulalae can be seen in the shape of the incisor process on the mandible ( Table 1 ).

After examination of Chace’s (1972: fig. 17a–e) material from Guadeloupe we conclude that these specimens represent A. floridanus . The length of the antennal scale distinctly exceeds the third article of the antennular peduncle, the propodus of the third pereopod bears multiple large movable spines on the ventrolateral surface, and finally, the dentition of the mandibular incisor process is typical of A. floridanus . Other records of A. floridanus ( Holthuis 1951; Shinn 1968; Zimmer 1913), were published with limited descriptions, illustrations, and no catalog numbers thus making a more precise analysis of those materials impossible.

Figures

FIGURE 1. Color patterns in Alpheus floridanus Kingsley, 1878: a, dorsal view of male, cl 12.1 mm., Fort Pierce, Florida (ULLZ 10569 A); b, dorsal view of ovigerous female, cl 12.4 mm, Fort Pierce, Florida (ULLZ 10569 B); c, dorsal view of ovigerous female, cl 11.8 mm, Carrie Bow Cay, Belize (ULLZ 11128); d, lateral view of ovig. female, cl 10.3 mm, Fort Pierce, Florida (ULLZ 5631); e, lateral view of ovigerous female, cl 11.6 mm, Fort Pierce, Florida (ULLZ 6207); f, g, dorsal and lateral views of male, cl 11.0 mm, Campeche Banks, Mexico (ULLZ 6203).

FIGURE 3. Alpheus floridanus Kingsley, 1878: a – o, lectotype female (MCZ 4987): a, anterior carapace, dorsal (right antennal scale broken); b, anterior carapace, left lateral view; c, left mandible, mesial; d, left maxillule, lateral; e, left second maxilla, lateral; f, left first maxilliped, lateral; g, left second maxilliped, lateral; h, right third maxilliped, lateral; i, right major chela, dactylus and propodus, lateral; j, left minor cheliped, ishium, merus, carpus, propodus, and dactylus, mesial; k, right major cheliped, coxa, basis, ishium, merus, and carpus, mesial; l, right third pereopod, lateral; m, left fourth pereopod, lateral; n, abdomen, telson (broken) and uropods, lateral; o, telson and uropods, lateral. Scale bars = 1.0 mm (d – g), 2.0 mm (a – c, h – o).

FIGURE 4. Alpheus floridanus Kingsley, 1878: a, h, f, male (ULLZ 6208); b – e, g, ovigerous female (ULLZ 6207); i, male (ULLZ 3560): a, habitus, lateral; b, anterior carapace, dorsal; c, anterior carapace, left lateral; d, right major cheliped, lateral; e, left minor cheliped, lateral; f, left minor cheliped, merus, carpus, propodus, and dactylus, mesial (balaeniceps setae illustrated); g, abdomen, pleopods, eggs, telson, and uropods, lateral; h, right second pleopod, appendix interna and appendix masculine; i, sixth abdominal somite, telson, and uropods, dorsal. Scale bars = 2.0 mm.

FIGURE 5. Alpheus floridanus Kingsley, 1878: a – d, ovigerous female (ULLZ 6207): a, right second pereopod, lateral; b, right third pereopod, lateral; c, right fourth pereopod, lateral; d, right fifth pereopod, lateral. Scale bars = 2.0 mm.