Leptalpheus felderi Anker, Vera Caripe & Lira, 2006

Scioli, Justin A., Robles, Rafael & Felder, Darryl L., 2024, New species and records of the symbiotic shrimp genus Leptalpheus Williams, 1965, with notes on Fenneralpheus Felder & Manning, 1986, and preliminary molecular analysis of phylogenetic relationships (Crustacea: Decapoda: Alpheidae), Zootaxa 5466 (1), pp. 1-72 : 46-47

Leptalpheus felderi Anker, Vera Caripe & Lira, 2006

( Figs. 21f–h , 26 )

Leptalpheus felderi Anker, Vera Caripe & Lira, 2006: 688 , figs. 1–5, 6A, B.— Anker 2011: 8 , fig. 4.

Material examined. USA: 1 male (cl 8.5 mm), UF 48038 (genetic tissue deposited as USNM 1499385 ), Virginia, Accomack County, Wachapreague, Gates Channel, side channel on north side, lagoonal estuary, sandy mud, 1-2 m, collected by gas powered suction pump, coll. M. Goodison & R. Aguilar, 22.07.2018 ; 1 female (cl 8.0 mm), USNM 1499342 , Virginia, Accomack County, Bradford Bay, west of Millstone Creek mouth, collected by gas powered suction pump, coll. M. Goodison & R. Aguilar, 22.07.2018 .

Description. See Anker et al. (2006b).

Color in life. Body semitransparent, with red chromatophores throughout; chromatophores densest on antennal and antennular peduncles, telson, uropodal endopods, dorsal and lateral surfaces of abdomen, and dorsal surface of carapace; chelipeds, walking legs, and uropodal exopods semitransparent, without chromatophores; major cheliped hyaline-white; ovaries and eggs intensely green ( Fig. 26 ; also see Anker et al. 2006b: fig. 6A, B; Anker 2011: fig. 4).

Type locality. Guamache , southern shore, Isla Margarita, Nueva Esparta, Venezuela .

Distribution. Atlantic coast of USA and Caribbean Sea: Caribbean coasts of Venezuela ( Anker et al. 2006b), Colombia ( Anker et al. 2006b), and Panama ( Anker 2011); Atlantic coast of Virginia, USA (present study).

Ecology. Obligate burrow cohabitant of upogebiid mudshrimps in the genus Upogebia : associated with Upogebia omissa Gomes Corrêa, 1968 in Venezuela ( Anker et al. 2006b) and an unidentified species of Upogebia in Panama ( Anker 2011). The specimens listed herein from Virginia were not collected with their hosts, however specimens of Upogebia affinis ( Say, 1818) and Gilvossius setimanus ( De Kay, 1844) were collected at the same localities (R. Aguilar, pers. comm.).

Remarks. The material of L. felderi from Virginia constitutes a considerable range extension for this species, which was previously only known from the Caribbean Sea. The specimens from Virginia closely morphologically matched the type description, which was based on specimens from Venezuela ( Anker et al. 2006b). The only ways in which the Virginian specimens differed from the type description was the dentition of the dactylus of the major chela, which had one tooth proximal of the large, subtriangular tooth at the midlength (vs. two in the original description) and the somewhat more pronounced tubercular granules on the ventral margin of the major chela (compare Fig. 21f–h vs. Anker et al. 2006b: fig. 2).

Figures

FIGURE 21. Leptalpheus azuero Anker, 2011 (a–e), Leptalpheus felderi Anker, Vera Caripe & Lira, 2006 (f–h), and Leptalpheus forceps Williams, 1965 (i–k). Leptalpheus azuero: ovigerous female (cl 4.7 mm), ULLZ 11823 [USNM 1545912], from Las Peñitas, Nicaragua (a, b) and ovigerous female (cl 6.4 mm), ULLZ 5917 [USNM 1541195], from Estero Aserradores, Nicaragua (c–e): a, major chela, lateral; b, same, mesial; c, major chela, dorsolateral; d, same, dactylus and pollex, dorsolateral; e, same, fingers opened, lateral. Leptalpheus felderi: male (cl 8.5 mm), UF 48038, from Wachapreague, Virginia, USA: f, major chela, mesial; g, same, dorsolateral; h, same, dactylus and pollex, dorsolateral. Leptalpheus forceps: male (cl 8.8 mm) (i), female (cl 5.3 mm) (j), ULLZ 18053 [USNM 1706385], from Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, USA and female (cl 6.0 mm) (k), ULLZ 5593 [USNM 1541048], from Nuevo Campechito, Mexico: i, frontal margin, dorsal; j, same; k, uropod with caudal appendix, dorsal.

FIGURE 26. Color patterns of Leptalpheus felderi Anker, Vera Caripe & Lira, 2006 from Virginia, USA: a, male (cl 8.5 mm), UF 48038, from Wachaprague, dorsal; b, same, lateral; c, female (cl 8.0 mm) USNM 1499342, from Bradford Bay, dorsal; d, same, lateral. Photographs by Amanda Bemis.