Alpheus cristulifrons Rathbun, 1900

Anker, Arthur, Tavares, Marcos & Mendonça, Joel B., 2016, Alpheid shrimps (Decapoda: Caridea) of the Trindade & Martin Vaz Archipelago, off Brazil, with new records, description of a new species of Synalpheus and remarks on zoogeographical patterns in the oceanic islands of the tropical southern Atlantic, Zootaxa 4138 (1), pp. 1-58 : 16

Alpheus cristulifrons Rathbun, 1900

( Fig. 3 )

Alpheus cristulifrons Rathbun 1900: 152 ; Anker et al. 2008b: 546, figs. 1–3, 7A, B; Alves et al. 2008: 49; Souza et al. 2011: 46; Santos et al. 2012: 150, fig. 3D; Soledade & Almeida 2013: 98, fig. 5B.

[for a more complete synonymy, especially prior to 2008, see Anker et al. (2008a)]

Material examined. Brazil: 1 ovig. female, MZUSP 33280, Trindade Island, between Ponta da Crista do Galo and Ponta Norte, 20°29’14.8”S – 29°20’13.9”W, depth: 15 m, coll. J.B. Mendonça, 21.v.2014; 1 female, MZUSP 30250, Trindade Island, Enseada Orelhas, 20°29’32.3”S – 29°20’32.6”W, depth: 14.9 m, coll. J.B. Mendonça, 22.vi.2012; 1 male, 2 ovig. females, 2 juveniles, MZUSP 30951, Trindade Island, Enseada da Cachoeira, Farrilhões, 20°31’22.4”S – 29°19’52.0”W, depth: 11.9 m, coll. J.B. Mendonça, 16.vi.2012; 1 male, 1 juvenile, MZUSP 30059, Trindade Island, Enseada da Cachoeira, Praia do M, 20°30’53.8”S – 29°20’19.2”W, depth: 15 m, coll. J.B. Mendonça, 08.vii.2013; 1 male, 2 (1 ovig.) females, MZUSP 31012, Trindade Island, large underwater boulder near Ponta Noroeste, 20°29’57.8”S – 29°20’39.2”W, depth: 15.3 m, coll. J.B. Mendonça, 16.vii.2012; 1 male, 2 (1 ovig.) females, MZUSP 30356, Trindade Island, Parcel / Praia das Tartarugas, 20°31’01.3”S – 29°17’56.9”W, depth: 14.5 m, coll. J.B. Mendonça, 11.vii.2012; 3 males, 1 ovig. female, MZUSP 30234, Trindade Island, Ponta do Monumento, 20°30’10.3”S – 29°20’36.1”W, depth: 8.1 m, coll. J.B. Mendonça, 13.vii.2012; 2 ovig. females, MZUSP 30981, Trindade Island, Praia do Lixo, 20°31’29.8”S – 29°19’43.9”W, depth: 17 m, coll. J.B. Mendonça, 15.vii.2013; 2 males, 1 ovig. female, 3 juveniles, MZUSP 30958, Trindade Island, Enseada dos Portugueses, SECON / ECIT, 20°30’20.9”S – 29°18’43.7”W, depth: 12.2 m, coll. J.B. Mendonça, 18.vii.2013; 2 (1 ovig.) females, MZUSP 30249, Trindade Island, Enseada dos Portugueses, SECON / ECIT, 20°30’20.9”S – 29°18’43.7”W, depth: 12.3 m, coll. J.B. Mendonça, 03.vii.2012. 1 ovig. female, MZUSP 30253, Martin Vaz Island, 20°30’ 45.7”S – 29°18’21.9”W, depth: 13 m, coll. J.B. Mendonça, 23.vii.2013; 1 female, MZUSP 30354, Martin Vaz Island, 20°30’45.7”S – 29°18’21.9”W, depth: 12.3 m, coll. J.B. Mendonça, 24.vii.2013. Size of largest male: cl 5.1 mm ( MZUSP 30951); largest female: cl 6.0 mm ( MZUSP 30250, MZUSP 30951). Numerous additional specimens (not listed above) are deposited in MZUSP.

Description. Anker et al. (2008b) provided a detailed redescription and numerous illustrations of this species, including colour photographs; for colour photographs of the Brazilian material see Santos et al. (2012) and Soledade & Almeida (2013) (see also Fig. 3 ).

Distribution. Western Atlantic: throughout Caribbean Sea; southern Florida; Brazil: Rio Grande do Norte to Rio de Janeiro, Fernando de Noronha, Atol das Rocas , Trindade and Martin Vaz Archipelago ( Anker et al. 2008b and references therein; Soledade & Almeida 2013 and references therein; present study).

Ecology. Coral reefs and submerged fossilised reef flats; in crevices of corals and coral rocks, occasionally in cryptic sponges; known depth range: 1– 15 m.

Remarks. Alpheus cristulifrons was previously known from Brazil from several localities on the continental coast, as well as the oceanic islands of Fernando de Noronha and Atol das Rocas ( Anker et al. 2008b; Soledade & Almeida 2013). The above material represents the first record of this species from the Trindade and Martin Vaz Archipelago, where the species appears to be very common. In the Atlantic Ocean, A. cristulifroms is most closely related to the eastern Atlantic A. xanthocarpus Anker, Hurt & Knowlton, 2008 , which presently is known only from two islands in the Gulf of Guinea ( Crosnier & Forest 1966; Anker et al. 2008b). Both species present a rather unique morphology and are not closely related to any other Atlantic species of Alpheus .

Figures

FIGURE 3. Alpheus cristulifrons Rathbun, 1900, male from Enseada dos Portugueses, Trindade Island, Brazil (MZUSP 33280): A, B — dorsal view on different backgrounds; C — lateral view. Photographs by J. B. Mendonça.