Alpheus macrodactylus Ortmann, 1890

Al-Kandari, Manal, Anker, Arthur, Hussain, Sumaiah, Al-Yassen, Sharifa, Sattari, Zainab & Grave, Sammy De, 2020, New records of decapod crustaceans from Kuwait (Malacostraca: Decapoda), Zootaxa 4803 (2), pp. 251-280 : 255-256

Alpheus macrodactylus Ortmann, 1890

( Fig. 3 )

Alpheus macrodactylus Ortmann 1890: 473 , pl. 36, fig. 10, 10e; Pearson 1905: 87; Banner & Banner 1982: 210, fig. 65; Banner & Banner 1983: 44; Naderloo & Türkay 2012: 10 .

Material examined. Kuwait: 1 male (minor cheliped missing), OUMNH. ZC. 2020.01.019, Failaka Island , eastern side, 29°23.409’N 48° 23.927’E, mixed rocky-muddy intertidal, burrows in mud, suction (yabby) pump, leg. A. Anker & S. De Grave, 03.x.2019 [KUW-073] .

General distribution. Apparently widely distributed in the Indo-West Pacific, with records from the Arabi- an Gulf ( Kuwait, Iran), East Africa ( Somalia, Kenya), Madagascar, Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Vietnam and Australia (Queensland, New South Wales) ( Ortmann 1890; De Man 1898; Pearson 1905; Banner & Banner 1982; Naderloo & Türkay 2012; exact range uncertain due to confusion with closely related taxa.

Ecology. Intertidal and shallow subtidal mud flats, sometimes close to mixed rocky-muddy beaches, also in mangrove swamps.

Remarks. Alpheus macrodactylus is part of the larger A. malabaricus ( Fabricius, 1775) species complex, which needs a thorough taxonomic revision ( Anker 2001b). The species was previously known from the Arabian Gulf only by a record based on a single specimen from Qeshm Island, Iran ( Naderloo & Türkay 2012). The identity of the Kuwaiti specimen ( Fig. 3 ) is somewhat uncertain for (1) it is missing the diagnostic minor cheliped; (2) both second pereiopods appear to have regenerated and therefore present an abnormal ratio of the carpal subdivisions; (3) the proportions of the major chela are somewhat different from those of the Australian specimen illustrated by Banner & Banner (1982).

Figures

FIGURE 3. Alpheus macrodactylus Ortmann, 1890: male (missing minor cheliped) from Failaka Island, Kuwait (OUMNH.ZC. 2020.01.019), dorsal view. Photograph by A. Anker.