Synalpheus bocas Anker and Tóth

Iii, Kenneth S Macdonald, Hultgren, Kristin & Duffy, Emmett, 2009, The sponge-dwelling snapping shrimps (Crustacea, Decapoda, Alpheidae, Synalpheus) of Discovery Bay, Jamaica, with descriptions of four new species, Zootaxa 2199, pp. 1-57 : 11

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).