Guidomar Oliveira Soledade

Snapping shrimps of the genus Alpheus Fabricius, 1798 from Brazil (Caridea: Alpheidae): updated checklist and key for identification

We provide an updated checklist of the snapping shrimps of the genus Alpheus Fabricius, 1798 (Crustacea: Alpheidae) from the Brazilian coast, as well as a key for their identification. The checklist was based on an exhaustive analysis of the literature published up to now, supported by analysis of material of 24 of the 33 species presently recorded from Brazil. Illustrations of the main diagnostic characters are provided to facilitate the identification process, as well as color photographs of 16 species collected by the authors, to facilitate the identification of fresh specimens. For each species, we provide information on the distribution and a list of previous records for the Brazilian coast. Comments on dubious records or taxonomic remarks are provided when appropriate. Finally, the zoogeography of the species is briefly discussed.

A precautionary tale when describing species in a world of invaders: Morphology, coloration and genetics demonstrate that Lysmata rauli is not a new species endemic to Brazil but a junior synonym of the Indo-Pacific L. vittata

The objective of this study was to investigate morphological variation in traits of systematic relevance and the phylogenetic position, ecology, and reproductive biology of the shrimp Lysmata rauli Laubenheimer and Rhyne, 2010 (Caridea: Hippolytidae), described based only on a single specimen collected in Salvador, Bahia, Brazil. We analyzed a total of 89 specimens from Camamu Bay, Bahia (n = 88) and from Sao Vicente estuary, Sao Paulo (n = 1). Considerable morphological variation was detected in the rostral spine series, number of segments on the carpus and merus of pereiopod 2, number of spiniform setae on the ventrolateral margin of merus and on the ventral margin of propodus of pereiopods 3-5. Importantly, L. rauli can be distinguished neither using morphology, nor coloration from the Indo-Pacific L. vittata (Stimpson, 1860). Furthermore, molecular phylogenetic analyses (using the 16S mt DNA fragment) did not reveal any considerable genetic dissimilarities between L. rauli and L. vittata. Thus, our results clearly indicate that L. rauli is not a new species but a junior synonym of L. vittata. The high density observed within the structures of oyster farming indicates that the invasive L. vittata lives in “crowds” in Brazil. The studied population was composed of males, hermaphrodites, and transitional individuals (having characteristics of males and hermaphrodites). The above information suggests that L. rauli is a protandric simultaneous hermaphrodite, as it has been observed in all species of Lysmata that have been investigated. Lysmata vittata has invaded the southwestern Atlantic and is present in Bahia, Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo, Brazil.

Decapod crustaceans on dead coral from reef areas on the coast of Bahia, Brazil

The decapod crustaceans inhabiting dead portions of the fire-coral Millepora alcicornis Linnaeus, 1758 and coral rubble were surveyed in six reef areas on the coast of the state of Bahia, Brazil, in 2011. A total of 453 specimens belonging to 39 species in the infraorders Stenopodidea (family Spongicolidae), Caridea (families Palaemonidae, Alpheidae, Hippolytidae, and Processidae), Axiidea (family Callianassidae), Gebiidea (family Upogebiidae), Anomura (family Porcellanidae), and Brachyura (families Majidae, Pilumnidae, Domeciidae, Panopeidae, and Grapsidae) were collected. Members of the families Alpheidae and Porcellanidae were prominent, with 14 and 9 species, respectively. Of the species collected, the alpheid shrimp Alpheus peasei (Armstrong, 1940) is recorded for the first time in the southwestern Atlantic. Microprosthema semilaeve (von Martens, 1872), Corallianassa hartmeyeri Schmitt, 1935, and Petrolisthes marginatu Stimpson, 1859 also had their known geographic ranges extended along the western Atlantic. Alpheus nuttingi (Schmitt, 1924), Synalpheus scaphoceris Coutiere, 1910, and Pachycheles riisei (Stimpson, 1858) are new records for Bahia.

Estuarine caridean shrimps (Crustacea: Decapoda) from Ilhéus, Bahia, Brazil: Updated checklist and a key for their identification

We provide an updated list of the 22 species of caridean shrimps occurring in estuaries at Ilheus, state of Bahia, Brazil, in the following families: Palaemonidae (4 species), Alpheidae (15 species), Hippolytidae (2 species) and Ogyrididae (1 species). The alpheid Automate cf. dolichognatha De Man, 1888 and the ogyridid Ogyrides alphaerostris (Kingsley, 1880) are reported from Bahia for the first time. The alpheids Alpheus brasileiro Anker, 2012, A. buckupi Almeida, Terossi, Araujo- Silva and Mantelatto, 2013, A. chacei Carvacho, 1979, A. nuttingi (Schmitt, 1924), Leptalpheus axianassae Dworschak and Coelho, 1999 and Salmoneus carvachoi Anker, 2007 are recorded from Ilheus for the first time. Alpheus angulosus McClure, 2002 and A. carlae Anker, 2012 were previously reported from Ilheus as A. armillatus (H. Milne Edwards, 1837). A key for identification of the carideans from estuaries of Ilheus is provided.

New invertebrate host records (Porifera and Cnidaria) for some caridean shrimps in estuaries of north-eastern Brazil

We report for the first time the association of some caridean shrimps with the octocoral Carijoa riisei (Cnidaria: Clavulariidae) and the sponge Dragmacidon reticulatum (Porifera: Axinellidae), in estuaries from north-eastern Brazil. The alpheid shrimp Synalpheus apioceros , Synalpheus fritzmuelleri , Alpheus formosus , Alpheus carlae and the palaemonid Cuapetes americanus are reported in association with Carijoa riisei . The latter two species, plus the alpheid Alpheus buckupi, are recorded in association with D. reticulatum.

Snapping shrimps of the genus Alpheus (Caridea: Alpheidae) from Brazil: range extensions and filling distribution gaps

The objective of this study is to report new occurrences of five species of snapping shrimps of the genus AlpheusFabricius, 1798 in Brazil and, thus, contribute to the knowledge of their zoogeography. The southern limit of distribution of A. formosus Gibbes, 1850 and A. peasei (Armstrong, 1940) is extended from Parana to Santa Catarina and from Bahia to Rio de Janeiro, respectively. The northern distribution limit of A. pouang Christoffersen, 1979 and A. verrilli (Schmitt, 1924) is substantially extended from Sao Paulo to Para and from Bahia to Para, respectively. Finally, A. rudolphi Almeida & Anker, 2011, previously known from Ceara and Alagoas, is recorded for the first time in Pernambuco, filling a gap in its known distribution.