Fenneralpheus chacei Felder & Manning, 1986

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 : 11-12

Fenneralpheus chacei Felder & Manning, 1986

( Fig. 2 )

Fenneralpheus chacei Felder & Manning, 1986: 498 , figs. 1–3.— Anker, 2011: 28 , figs. 20–22.— De Grave & Anker, 2017: 12.— Vera Caripe et al., 2021: 183 .

Material examined. USA: 1 male (cl 12.4 mm), 1 non-ovigerous female (cl 10.5 mm), 1 ovigerous female (cl 15.9 mm), ULLZ 18220 [ USNM 1706486 ], Florida, Ft. Pierce, Indian River , on north side of A1A causeway, east of bridge, on sand flat separated from causeway by shallow channel, exposed at low tide, coll. R.B. Manning, D.L. Felder & W. Lee, 15.08.1986 ; 1 male (cl 13.1 mm), ULLZ 18221 [ USNM 1706487 ], same locality as previous, coll. R.B. Manning, D.L. Felder & W. Lee, 11.08.1986 ; 1 male (cl 13.6 mm), 1 female (cl 15.0 mm), ULLZ 18232 [ USNM 1706498 ], Florida, Ft. Pierce, inlet sand bar, coll. D.L. Felder, 01.07.1993 ; 1 female (cl 13.1 mm), ULLZ 4559 [ USNM 1540423 ], Florida, Ft. Pierce, A 1A causeway sandbar, coll. D.L. Felder & J. Norenberg 25.03.1997 . Panama: 1 male (cl 4.3 mm), UF 51711 , Caribbean coast, Bocas del Toro, Isla Colón, Mimitimbi , 1 m, coll. P.P.G. Pachelle & C. Rodriguez, 29.03.2019 .

Description. See Felder & Manning (1986).

Color in life. Previously reported as uniformly pink or pale red due to diffuse red chromatophores throughout body, most densely in the antennular and antennal peduncles and tail fan; chelae hyaline-white; walking legs transparent (see Anker 2011: fig. 22). Specimens from Florida closely matched this description ( Figs. 2a, b ). The specimen reported from Panama was semi-transparent with much more diffuse, orange-tan chromatophores ( Fig. 2c, d ). The lower density of chromatophores in this specimen is likely due to smaller body size.

Type locality. Ft. Pierce, Florida, USA .

Distribution. The Atlantic coast of USA and Caribbean Sea: Atlantic coast of Florida and Florida Keys ( Felder & Manning 1986; present study), Caribbean coasts of Panama ( Anker 2011; De Grave & Anker 2017; present study), and Venezuela ( Vera Caripe et al. 2021).

Ecology. Obligate burrow cohabitant of unknown burrowing hosts in shallow fine-sediment habitats such as seagrass flats. Vera Caripe et al. (2021) hypothesized that the large body size of this species suggests that its host is likely to be a large sized callianassid species or stomatopod, but this is yet to be confirmed.

Remarks. The specimens listed above all closely agree with the type description of F. chacei ( Felder & Manning 1986) and previously published illustrations of Panamanian specimens ( Anker 2011). The single specimen listed above from Panama is the smallest individual of this species reported to date (cl 4.3 mm), but this specimen had developed appendices masculina on the second pleopods, suggesting it is an adult.

Figures

FIGURE 2. Color patterns of Fenneralpheus chacei Felder & Manning, 1986: a, female (cl 13.1 mm), from Ft. Pierce, Florida, USA, ULLZ 4559 [USNM 1540423], lateral; b, same, dorsal; c, male (cl 4.3 mm), from Bocas del Toro, Panama, UF 51711, lateral; d, same, dorsal. Photographs by the third author (a, b) and Paulo P.G. Pachelle (c, d).