Alpheus edwardsii ( Audouin, 1826 )

Dehghani, Amir, Sari, Alireza & Naderloo, Reza, 2019, Annotated checklist of the snapping shrimps of the genus Alpheus Fabricius, 1798 (Crustacea: Decapoda: Alpheidae) from the Persian Gulf and Gulf of Oman, Iran, Zootaxa 4544 (4), pp. 479-504 : 484-485

Alpheus edwardsii ( Audouin, 1826)

( Fig. 3 A–B)

Athanas edwardsii Audouin, 1826: 91 . Alpheus edwardsii —Banner & Banner, 1973: 1141; Banner & Banner, 1978: 222; Banner & Banner, 1982: 270; Banner & Banner, 1985: 16; Chace, 988: 25. Naderloo & Türkay, 2012: 9; Anker & De Grave, 2016: 352.

Material examined. PG: 1 male, 3 females ( ZUTC 6730 ), Bandar-Mahshar , under rock in turbid water, Coll. A. Dehghani, 26 Nov. 2015 ; 2 males, 1 female ( ZUTC 6731 ), Arvand-Kenar , under rock in turbid water, Coll. A. Dehghani, 25 Nov. 2015 ; Bushehr, 2 males, 1 ovig. female ( ZUTC 6732 ), Bandar-Deylam , under rock, Coll. R. Naderloo, 28 Oct. 2014 ; 2 males, 3 females ( ZUTC 6733 ), Bandar-Genaveh , under rocks and from burrows, Coll. A. Sari and H. Salehi, 28 Nov. 2012 ; 1 male ( ZUTC 6734 ), Bandar-Dayyer , under rocks and from burrows, Coll. R. Naderloo, 1 Oct. 2012 ; 3 males, 2 ovig. females ( ZUTC 6735 ), Bandar-Lengeh , under rock, Coll. A. Dehghani and H. Ashrafi, 2 May 2015 ; 2 males, 3 females ( ZUTC 6736 ), Hormuz I., under rocks and from burrows, Coll. A. Sari, 2 Dec. 2014 ; 1 male, ( ZUTC 6737 ) Abu-Musa I., large boulder or its inside holes and channels, Coll. A. Dehghani, 10 May 2016 ; 1 male, 1 female ( SMF 51379), Hormuz I., under rocks and from burrows, Coll. A. Sari, 2 Dec. 2014 ; GO: 2 males, 2 ovig. females ( ZUTC 6738 ), Abd Village , in crevices of dead corals, Coll. A. Dehghani and H. Ashrafi, 2 May 2016 ; 1 male, 2 females ( ZUTC 6739 ) Khalasi Estuary , mangroves, muddy/boulder, Coll. A. Sari , 2 males, 2 Dec. 2013; 1 female ( ZUTC 6740 ) Chabahar Bay, Tis , rocky/cobble, Coll. A. Dehghani, 2 May 2016 ; 1 male, 3 females ( ZUTC 6741 ), Tang Village , sandy, Coll. S. Ebrahimnezhad, 25 Nov. 2015 ; 1 male, 2 females ( ZUTC 6742 ), Djod Village , rocky/cobble, Coll. A. Dehghani and H. Ashrafi, 25 May 2017 .

Regional records. PG: UAE ( Nobili 1906, as Alpheus audouini Coutière ), Iran ( Naderloo & Türkay 2012); GO: Iran ( Naderloo et al. 2015)

Distribution. Indo-West Pacific: from South Africa and Red Sea to Japan and Australia.

Habitat. Rocky/sandy intertidal, under rocks and large pieces of coral rubble; intertidal and shallow subtidal, 0–3 m deep.

Remark. This species complex is very common in the GO, especially in rocky-sandy habitats. Morphologically, our material agrees well with Banner & Banner’s (1982) description. The variation in color patterns in PG and GO material caused a problematic status for this species complex. According to Anker & De Grave (2016), Alpheus edwardsii is a challenging group comprised of several species and therefore needs a thorough examination of morphologically similar material from its geographical range.

Figures

FIGURE 3. Alpheus edwardsii (Audouin, 1826), A. Male (CL. 9 mm); B. Female (CL. 9 mm), Abu-Musa Island. Alpheus gracilis Heller, 1861, C. Male (CL. 8.5 mm); D. Female (CL. 8.3 mm), Abu-Musa Island. Alpheus hippothoe De Man, 1888, E. Male (CL. 9.1 mm); F. Female (CL. 9.2 mm), Abu-Musa Island.