Lysmata durbanensis (Stebbing, 1921)

Guéron, Rodrigo, Almeida, Alexandre Oliveira, Aguilar, Robert, Ogburn, Matthew B., Prakash, Sanjeevi & Baeza, J. Antonio, 2022, Delimiting species within the Lysmata vittata (Stimpson, 1860) (Decapoda: Lysmatidae) species complex in a world full of invaders, Zootaxa 5150 (2), pp. 189-216 : 204

Lysmata durbanensis is a valid species

Although data were limited, our analysis of the three syntypes of L. durbanensis suggested it is not a junior synonym of L. vittata , thus we formally resurrect it to full species status. While L. durbanensis shared some morphological traits with L. vittata , including a uniramous dorsal antennule, wide gap in the major chelae, and stylocerite exceeding the antennular peduncle ( Aguilar et al. 2022; present study), some divergences were noted in other important characters.

In our examinations, of the three syntypes two individuals possessed a long and slender rostrum, slightly exceeding the antennular peduncle, with dorsal and ventral teeth set very close to the tip, which was not seen in any of the L. vittata examined in the present study. In the other individual, the rostrum was very short, not exceeding the first article of the antennular peduncle, but it appeared this may have been due to a mechanical deformity. We confirm the number of ventral spines in the dactyls of pereopods 3–5 as ranging from three to four, which is less than reported for L. vittata (5–6). Also, shrimps collected in South Africa tended to have higher number of spiniform setae on the propodus of pereopods 3–5 and more variable rostral teeth counts. Additionally, the disparate location of South Africa in relation to the assumed native range of L. vittata (temperate/subtropical northwestern Indo-Pacific, see below) is also suggestive that South African populations represent a different entity, though environmental conditions in the region are likely favorable to introductions of L. vittata and L. rauli .

There appears to be scarce data for and scant collections of L. durbanensis . Nevertheless, genetic examination of L. durbanensis from across southern mainland Africa and outlying islands is required to resolve the phylogenetic relationship and distribution range of this species in the context of the L. vittata complex.