Biffarius biformis ( Biffar, 1971 )

Pachelle, Paulo P. G., Anker, Arthur, Mendes, Cecili B. & Bezerra, Luis E. A., 2016, Decapod crustaceans from the state of Ceará, northeastern Brazil: an updated checklist of marine and estuarine species, with 23 new records, Zootaxa 4131 (1), pp. 1-63 : 26-27

Biffarius biformis ( Biffar, 1971)

( Figure 19 A, B)

Callianassa biformis Biffar 1971: 15 , fig. 1.

Material examined. Brazil, Ceará: 1 ov. female, LIMCE-UFC 705, Icapuí, Praia de Requenguela, Banco dos Cajuais, sand-mud flat, among sea grass beds, in burrow, suction pump, coll. A. Anker & P.P.G. Pachelle, 02.vi. 2012 [fcn 12 -090]; 1 female, MZUSP 27620, Icapuí, Praia de Tremembé, sand-mud flat, in burrow, suction pump, coll. P.P.G. Pachelle & C.B. Mendes, 19.viii. 2012; 1 female, MZUSP 27621, same collecting data; 2 females, LIMCE-UFC 691, same collecting data; 1 male, MZUSP 33459, Icapuí, Praia de Tremembé, sand-mud flat, in burrow, suction pump, coll. P.P.G. Pachelle, 10.ii. 2014 [fcn PP 14 -003]; 1 male, MZUSP 33460, same collection data [fcn PP 14 -004]; 1 male, MZUSP 33461, same collection data [fcn PP 14 -005]; 1 male, MZUSP 33462, same collection data [fcn PP 14 -006]; 3 females, MZUSP 33463, Icapuí, Praia de Tremembé, sand-mud flat, in burrow, suction pump, coll. P.P.G. Pachelle, 12.ii. 2014; 1 male, 1 female, MZUSP 33464, same collection data; 1 male, 1 female, MZUSP 33465, Paracuru, Praia da Pedra Rachada, sand-mud flat, in burrow, suction pump, coll. P.P.G. Pachelle, 11.viii. 2014.

Comparative material. Biffarius delicatulus Rodrigues & Manning, 1992 . Brazil, São Paulo: holotype, male, MZUSP 10582, São Sebastião, Praia do Araçá, sand, suction pump, coll. S.A. Rodrigues, 18.v. 1985.

Distribution. Western Atlantic: USA (Massachusetts to Florida), Gulf of Mexico (Florida to Texas), and Brazil (Ceará, Pernambuco) ( Botter-Carvalho et al. 2012; present study).

Remarks. The material from Ceará presents all diagnostic features of Biffarius biformis as described by Biffar (1971). The species is morphologically very close to B. delicatulus , presently known only from São Paulo ( Brazil). The only two differences between B. biformis and B. delicatulus are the presence of a small spiniform seta on the distolateral margin of the telson in B. biformis (which is absent in B. delicatulus ), and the development of a sharp tooth on the ventral margin of the major cheliped merus (very strong in B. biformis vs. rather weak in B. delicatulus ) ( Rodrigues & Manning 1992). In all specimens of B. biformis from Ceará, the telson bears one spiniform seta on the distolateral margin. Despite the poor condition of the holotype of B. delicatulus ( MZUSP 10582), it is possible to observe what appears to be a minute spiniform seta on the distolateral margin of the telson, which could eliminate the first difference between B. biformis and B. delicatulus . Furthermore, some males of B. biformis from Ceará present a weak tooth on the major cheliped merus ( Fig. 19 B), similar to that of the paratype male in Rodrigues & Manning (1992: fig. 1 j), whereas others have a much stronger tooth ( Fig. 19 A), as illustrated for B. biformis in Biffar (1971 : fig. 1 f, i). The taxonomic implications of the above observations will be discussed elsewhere (Pachelle & Anker, in study).

Figures

FIGURE 19. Biffarius biformis (Biffar, 1971) (A, B) and Biffarius fragilis (Biffar, 1970) (C, D): A, male from Icapuí, Ceará, Brazil (MZUSP 33461), in lateral view; B, male from Icapuí, Ceará, Brazil (MZUSP 33459), in lateral view; C, D, female from Paracuru, Ceará, Brazil (LIMCE-UFC 688), frontal region of carapace (C) and left (major) first cheliped (D), in lateral views. C and D in same scale. Scale bars: 1 mm. Photographs by P. P. G. Pachelle.