Neopontonides chacei Heard, 1986

Fransen, Charles H. J. M., 2023, The marine palaemonid shrimps (Crustacea, Deapoda, Caridea) of the Dutch Caribbean, Zootaxa 5387 (1), pp. 1-127 : 24-26

Neopontonides chacei Heard, 1986

( Fig. 7 , video 5)

Material examined. Curaçao: RMNH. CRUS.D.51659: 1 ovigerous female, pocl. 1.6 mm; stn CUR.02, south coast, Atlantis diving/ Drielstraat, 12°05′42.1″N 068°54′43.0″W, 10.vi.2005, depth 7.2 m, scuba diving, on Plexaurella dichotoma (Esper, 1791) (fcn. F410), collected by N. Snijders (fcn. g117) . RMNH. CRUS.D.58118: 4 specimens; stn CUR.03, south coast, Hilton Reef , 12°07′19.5″N 068°58′07.8″W, 16.vi.2005, depth 7 m, scuba diving, on Plexaura sp. , collected by N. Snijders (fcn. g124) . RMNH. CRUS.D.58119: 1 non-ovigerous female, pocl. 1.3 mm; stn CUR.03, south coast, Hilton Reef , 12°07′19.5″N 068°58′07.8″W, 16.vi.2005, depth 7 m, scuba diving, on Plexaura sp. , collected by N. Snijders (fcn. g121) . RMNH. CRUS.D.51652: 1 specimen; stn CUR.04, south coast, West Side Piscaderabaai , 12°07′21.4″N 068°58′10.5″W, 30.iv.2005, depth 13.2 m, scuba diving, on Pseudoplexaura flagellosa (Houttuyn, 1772) (fcn. F056B), collected by B . T. Reijnen (fcn. g036) . RMNH. CRUS.D.51656: 1 specimen; stn CUR.07, south coast, Vaersenbaai , 12°09′38.3″N 069°08′17.2″W, 03.v.2005, depth 9.2 m, scuba diving, on Eunicea clavigera Bayer, 1961 (fcn. F114), collected by N. Snijders (fcn. g045) . RMNH. CRUS.D.58120: 1 male, pocl. 1.1 mm; 1 non-ovigerous female, pocl. 1.4 mm; stn CUR.11, west point, Playa Kalki , 12°22′29.8″N 069°09′27.7″W, 10.v.2005, depth 6.2 m, scuba diving, on Plexaura sp. , collected by N. Snijders (fcn. g062) . RMNH. CRUS.D.51653: 1 specimen; stn CUR.11, west point, Playa Kalki , 12°22′29.8″N 069°09′27.7″W, 10.v.2005, depth 37.4 m, scuba diving, on Eunicea flexuosa (Lamouroux, 1821) (fcn. F190), collected by N. Snijders (fcn. g063) . RMNH. CRUS. D.51654: 1 ovigerous female, pocl. 2.0 mm; stn CUR.16, south coast, Fuikbaai , 12°03′01.6″N 068°50′05.2″W, 19.v.2005, depth 20 m, scuba diving, collected by B . T. Reijnen (fcn. g078) . RMNH. CRUS.D.51655: 2 males, pocl. 1.2, 1.5 mm; stn CUR.17, south coast, Caracasbaai , 12°03′01.6″N 068°52′01.2″W, 03.vi.2005, depth 12.3 m, scuba diving, on E. flexuosa (fcn. F366), collected by N. Snijders (fcn. g098) . RMNH. CRUS.D.58121: 1 juvenile, pocl. 1.0 mm; stn CUR.24, south coast, Grote Knip , 12°21′05.1″N 069°09′06.4″W, 08.vi.2005, depth 13 m, scuba diving, on Pseudoplexaura porosa forma a (fcn. F378), collected by N. Snijders (fcn. g106) . RMNH. CRUS. D.58122: 1 ovigerous female, pocl. 1.5 mm; stn CUR.25, south coast, Kleine Knip , 12°20′28.8″N 069°09′08.3″W, 08.vi.2005, depth 21.2 m, scuba diving, on Pseudoplexaura porosa (Houttuyn, 1772) (fcn. F386), collected by N. Snijders (fcn. g109) . RMNH. CRUS.D.51658: 2 specimens; stn CUR.25, south coast, Kleine Knip , 12°20′28.8″N 069°09′08.3″W, 08.vi.2005, depth 10.8 m, scuba diving, on Antillogorgia americana (Gmelin, 1791) (fcn. F388), collected by N. Snijders (fcn. g111a) . RMNH. CRUS.D.51660: 2 specimens; stn CUR.28, south coast, Sponge Forest , 12°17′44.1″N 069°09′26.0″W, 14.vi.2005, depth 18.1 m, scuba diving, on P. porosa (fcn. F416), collected by N. Snijders (fcn. g119b–c) . RMNH. CRUS.D.58123: 1 specimen; stn CUR.31, east point, Awa di Oostpunt , 12°02′25.9″N 068°45′03.3″W, 18.vi.2005, depth 21.2 m, scuba diving, on P. porosa (fcn. F436), collected by N. Snijders (fcn. g125) . RMNH. CRUS.D.51657: 1 damaged specimen, pocl. 0.8 mm; stn CUR.31, east point, Awa di Oostpunt , 12°02′25.9″N 068°45′03.3″W, 18.vi.2005, depth 17.6 m, scuba diving, on Antillogorgia bipinnata (Verrill, 1864) (fcn. F438), collected by N. Snijders (fcn. g128) . RMNH. CRUS.D.58124: several specimens; south coast, Waterfabriek , 12°06′35.4″N 068°57′15.0″W, 26.v.2005, depth 8.8 m, scuba diving, on Pseudoplexaura sp. , collected by N. Snijders (fcn. g089) . RMNH. CRUS.D.58125: 1 specimen; stn COA. 22, Grote Knip , 12°21′04.10″N 69°09′06.90″W, 6.xi.2013, depth 10 m, scuba diving, on Plexaura sp. (collected), collected by C.H.J.M. Fransen (photo COA.22 238–241) . OUMNH. ZC. 2019-06-14: 18 specimens, including ovigerous female pocl. 0.9–1.6 mm; Sun Reef , 12°8′21.12″N 68°59′53.1594″W, 14.ii.2015, depth 7 m, from Antillogorgia sp. , leg. P. Wirtz & K. Wittman (fcn. 1) . OUMNH. ZC. 2019-06-15: 1 ovigerous female pocl. 1.6 mm; Sun Reef , 12°8′21.12″N 68°59′53.1594″W, 18.ii.2015, depth 44 m, from Elisella sp. , leg. P. Wirtz & K. Wittman (sample 14) . Bonaire: RMNH. CRUS. D.58126: 1 specimen; stn BON.06, Oil Slick Leap , 12°12.029′N 068°18.512′W, 25.x.2019, depth 12 m, scuba diving, on Plexaurella spec. , collected by C.H.J.M. Fransen (video 5) . Stn BON.06, Oil Slick Leap, 12°12.029′N 068°18.512′W, 25.x.2019, depth 12 m, scuba diving, on Eunicea spec. , C.H.J.M. Fransen (video 5), not collected . RMNH. CRUS.D.57908: 3 specimens; stn BON.37, Andrea I, 12°11.285′N 068°17.795′W, 06.xi.2019, depth 8 m, scuba diving, on gorgonarian, collected by C.H.J.M. Fransen. RMNH. CRUS.D.58127: 47 specimens; Something Special (Pali Grande), 12°09.696′N 068°17.016′W, 06.xi.2019, depth unknown, scuba diving, on brown gorgonian, collected by Peter Wirtz (fcn. 9) (photo) .

Ecology. Associated with gorgonarians of the genera Antilligorgia, Leptogorgia and Plexaurella ( De Grave & Anker 2017) . P. porosa , P. flagellosa (Houttuyn, 1772) , E. flexuosa , E. clavigera Bayer, 1961 , and Elisella spec. constitute new host records.

Distribution. Distributed in the tropical northwestern Atlantic from Florida southwards to Belize and the Caribbean coast of Panama in depths between 1 and 10 m ( De Grave & Anker 2017). The species is herein recorded for the first time from Curaçao and Bonaire.

Figures

FIGURE 7. Neopontonides chacei Heard, 1986, stn CAO.22, Curaçao, Grote Knip, 12°21′04.10″N 69°09′06.90″W, 6.xi.2013, depth 10 m, on Plexaura sp. (Photograph by C.H.J.M. Fransen.)