Neocrangon resima (Rathbun, 1902)

Wicksten, Mary K., 2012, Decapod Crustacea of the Californian and Oregonian Zoogeographic Provinces 3371, Zootaxa 3371, pp. 1-307 : 119-120

Neocrangon resima (Rathbun, 1902)

( Fig. 29G)

Crangon resima Rathbun, 1902a: 889 ; 1904: 124, fig. 65. — Kozloff 1974: 164. — Word & Charwat 1976: 87. — Butler 1980: 97.

Crago resima . — Schmitt 1921: 96, fig. 64. — Goodwin 1952: 394.

Crangon (Neocrangon) resima . — Zarenkov 1965: 1762.

Neocrangon resima . — Kuris & Carlton 1977: 554. — Wicksten 1996a: 39, fig. 1 a–c. — Wicksten & Hendrickx 2003: 69.

Crago zacae Chace, 1937: 136 , fig. 9.

Crangon ? (Neocrangon) zacae . — Zarenkov 1965: 1764.

Crangon zacae . — Word & Charwat 1976: 93. — Wicksten 1980c: 361.

Neocrangon zacae . — Kuris & Carlton 1977: 554. — Wicksten 1980a: 39.

Diagnosis. Rostrum highly variable: often slightly ascending, narrow, shorter than cornea of eye; in some specimens ascending to sharp apex or having a ventral plate with 0–4 small teeth. Eye of moderate size. Carapace with 2 median dorsal teeth, anterior of these smaller of two, weak antennal, strong branchiostegal, hepatic teeth; no pterygostomian tooth. Antennular peduncle short, less than half length of scaphocerite. Scaphocerite broader near base than at apex of blade, lateral tooth exceeding blade. Third maxillipeds slender, with exopod. Pereopod 1 with 1 strong, 1 weak meral tooth; carpus with 2 weak distal teeth, dactylus closing obliquely across propodus. Pereopod 2 slender, chelate. Pereopods 3–5 long, slender, dactyls simple. Abdominal somites smooth to very weakly carinate except for somite 6, which bears 2 dorsal carinae. Pleura rounded except for those of somites 4, 5, which bear posterolateral teeth. Telson shorter than or about as long as uropods, with 2 pairs dorsolateral spines. Male total length 55 mm, female 20–70 mm.

Color in life. Body semi-translucent, mottled with greenish brown, scarlet on dorsal, lateral surfaces, ventral surface white, antennae banded with scarlet, white ( Chace 1937).

Habitat and depth. Muddy, sandy, rocky bottoms, 28–491 m.

Range. Monterey Bay , California to north of Gorgona I., western Colombia. Type locality off San Diego, California .

Remarks. Until recently, it was thought that N. resima could be recognized by a distinctive raised rostrum with a ventral plate. The shape of the rostrum and its angle relative to the carapace is highly variable and not a reliable feature for identification. A raised rostrum with the ventral plate seems to occur in less than 10% of the population of N. resima . The type material of N. resima does not have the ventral plate. Specimens previously identified as N. zacae do not differ appreciably from specimens of N. resima . Green & Butler (1988) probably misidentified N. communis by assuming that only N. resima had the raised rostrum. Wicksten (1996: fig. 1) provided illustrations of morphological variation in the rostrum of N. resima .