Biffarius biformis ( Biffar, 1971 )

Pachelle, Paulo P. G., Anker, Arthur, Mendes, Cecili B. & Bezerra, Luis E. A., 2016, Decapod crustaceans from the state of Ceará, northeastern Brazil: an updated checklist of marine and estuarine species, with 23 new records, Zootaxa 4131 (1), pp. 1-63 : 26-27

Biffarius biformis ( Biffar, 1971)

( Figure 19 A, B)

Callianassa biformis Biffar 1971: 15 , fig. 1.

Material examined. Brazil, Ceará: 1 ov. female, LIMCE-UFC 705, Icapuí, Praia de Requenguela, Banco dos Cajuais, sand-mud flat, among sea grass beds, in burrow, suction pump, coll. A. Anker & P.P.G. Pachelle, 02.vi.2012 [fcn 12-090]; 1 female, MZUSP 27620, Icapuí, Praia de Tremembé, sand-mud flat, in burrow, suction pump, coll. P.P.G. Pachelle & C.B. Mendes, 19.viii.2012; 1 female, MZUSP 27621, same collecting data; 2 females, LIMCE-UFC 691, same collecting data; 1 male, MZUSP 33459, Icapuí, Praia de Tremembé, sand-mud flat, in burrow, suction pump, coll. P.P.G. Pachelle, 10.ii.2014 [fcn PP 14-003]; 1 male, MZUSP 33460, same collection data [fcn PP 14-004]; 1 male, MZUSP 33461, same collection data [fcn PP 14-005]; 1 male, MZUSP 33462, same collection data [fcn PP 14-006]; 3 females, MZUSP 33463, Icapuí, Praia de Tremembé, sand-mud flat, in burrow, suction pump, coll. P.P.G. Pachelle, 12.ii.2014; 1 male, 1 female, MZUSP 33464, same collection data; 1 male, 1 female, MZUSP 33465, Paracuru, Praia da Pedra Rachada, sand-mud flat, in burrow, suction pump, coll. P.P.G. Pachelle, 11.viii.2014.

Comparative material. Biffarius delicatulus Rodrigues & Manning, 1992 . Brazil, São Paulo: holotype, male, MZUSP 10582, São Sebastião, Praia do Araçá, sand, suction pump, coll. S.A. Rodrigues, 18.v.1985.

Distribution. Western Atlantic: USA (Massachusetts to Florida), Gulf of Mexico (Florida to Texas), and Brazil (Ceará, Pernambuco) ( Botter-Carvalho et al. 2012; present study).

Remarks. The material from Ceará presents all diagnostic features of Biffarius biformis as described by Biffar (1971). The species is morphologically very close to B. delicatulus , presently known only from São Paulo ( Brazil). The only two differences between B. biformis and B. delicatulus are the presence of a small spiniform seta on the distolateral margin of the telson in B. biformis (which is absent in B. delicatulus ), and the development of a sharp tooth on the ventral margin of the major cheliped merus (very strong in B. biformis vs. rather weak in B. delicatulus ) ( Rodrigues & Manning 1992). In all specimens of B. biformis from Ceará, the telson bears one spiniform seta on the distolateral margin. Despite the poor condition of the holotype of B. delicatulus (MZUSP 10582), it is possible to observe what appears to be a minute spiniform seta on the distolateral margin of the telson, which could eliminate the first difference between B. biformis and B. delicatulus . Furthermore, some males of B. biformis from Ceará present a weak tooth on the major cheliped merus ( Fig. 19 B), similar to that of the paratype male in Rodrigues & Manning (1992: fig. 1j), whereas others have a much stronger tooth ( Fig. 19 A), as illustrated for B. biformis in Biffar (1971 : fig. 1f, i). The taxonomic implications of the above observations will be discussed elsewhere (Pachelle & Anker, in study).

Figures

FIGURE 19. Biffarius biformis (Biffar, 1971) (A, B) and Biffarius fragilis (Biffar, 1970) (C, D): A, male from Icapuí, Ceará, Brazil (MZUSP 33461), in lateral view; B, male from Icapuí, Ceará, Brazil (MZUSP 33459), in lateral view; C, D, female from Paracuru, Ceará, Brazil (LIMCE-UFC 688), frontal region of carapace (C) and left (major) first cheliped (D), in lateral views. C and D in same scale. Scale bars: 1 mm. Photographs by P. P. G. Pachelle.