The sponge-dwelling snapping shrimps (Crustacea, Decapoda, Alpheidae, Synalpheus) of Discovery Bay, Jamaica, with descriptions of four new species
Author
Iii, Kenneth S Macdonald
Author
Hultgren, Kristin
Author
Duffy, Emmett
text
Zootaxa
2009
2199
1
57
journal article
10.5281/zenodo.189568
c668ee01-6eff-451a-9b96-be6f14b35edc
1175-5326
189568
Synalpheus bocas
Anker and Tóth
Color Plates 1D, 2A,B
Material examined.
Jamaica
: Ovigerous female (
VIMS
08JAM0503), Columbus Park, Discovery Bay, from canals of
Xestospongia
sp. Non-ovigerous individual, 2 ovigerous females (
VIMS
08JAM7402,04,08), wall off Rio Bueno, from canals of
Xestospongia proxima
.
2 ovigerous females (
VIMS
08JAM7503,05), wall off Rio Bueno, from canals of
Xestospongia subtriangularis
. 2 non-ovigerous individuals, 3 ovigerous females (
VIMS
08JAM8403-05), wall off Rio Bueno, from canals of
X. proxima
.
MaxCL ovigerous female:
4.42 mm
. MaxCL non-ovigerous individual:
4.17 mm
.
Color.
Pale, milky appearance, distal portion of major chela orange-brown; embryos and mature ovaries either bright green or yellow (see Color plates 1D, 2A,B).
Hosts and ecology.
In
Jamaica
, this species has only been found in sponges of the genus
Xestospongia
. It is found as one to several pairs, and is often cohabitating with other members of the
S. paraneptunus
group (
S. belizensis
,
S. duffyi
).
Distribution.
Bocas
del Toro,
Panama
(
Anker and Tóth 2008
);
Jamaica
(this study).
Remarks.
Synalpheus bocas
is another member of the
S. paraneptunus
complex, which also includes
S. belizensis
and
S. duffyi
in
Jamaica
.
Synalpheus bocas
is morphologically most similar to
S. belizensis
(
Anker and Tóth 2008
)
, from which it can be distinguished by the absence of a scaphocerite blade (vs. presence of a small blade in
S. belizensis
); stouter telson dorsal spines, and bright green embryos and ovaries (vs. yellow), although the embryos of one specimen from
Panama
were described as “greenish yellow” (
Anker and Tóth 2008
). Similarly, in
Jamaica
, we have observed individual females of
S. bocas
carrying embryos ranging from green to yellow (see Color plate 1D, 2A,B). Therefore, differentiation between these two species requires a careful examination of the scaphocerite and often a direct comparison of the dorsal spines on the telson.
Synalpheus bocas
may be distinguished from the remaining members of the
S. paraneptunus
complex by the same characters as
S. belizensis
(see above).