Lebbeus zebra ( Leim, 1921 )

Wicksten, Mary K., 2012, Decapod Crustacea of the Californian and Oregonian Zoogeographic Provinces 3371, Zootaxa 3371, pp. 1-307 : 91-92

Lebbeus zebra ( Leim, 1921)

( Fig. 22A)

Spirontocaris zebra Leim, 1921: 133 , pls. 2–3.

Lebbeus zebra . — Holthuis 1947: 10 (part). — Couture & Trudel 1968: 873, fig. 12.— Butler 1980: 186. — Wicksten & Méndez 1982: 118. — Wicksten 1990b: 592.

Not Hetairus zebra Makarov, 1935: 319 , fig. 1; = Hetairus fasciatus Kobyakova, 1936 ; western Pacific species.

Diagnosis. Rostrum narrow, reaching at most to end of first segment of antennular peduncle, with 2–5 dorsal teeth, 1–2 on carapace proper, no ventral teeth. First segment of antennular peduncle with 2–4 spines on dorsal margin, appressed mesioventral spine, second and third segments with dorsal spines, stylocerite not reaching end of spine of second article. Carapace with strong supraorbital tooth, suborbital lobe, strong antennal tooth, small pterygostomian tooth. Third maxilliped with epipod but no exopod. Pereopods 1–3 with epipods. Pereopods 3–5 slender, with stout spinose dactyls. Merus of pereopods 3–5 without spines. Pleura of abdominal somites 1–3 rounded, 4, 5 with small points. Telson with 4 or 5 pairs dorsolateral spines, blunt apex. Total length 49 mm.

Color in life. Conspicuously banded with brownish red to orange stripes on body, appendages ( Leim 1921).

Habitat and depth. Rocky subtidal areas, 10–140 m.

Range. Gulf of St. Lawrence to Isles of Shoals , Maine ; Bering Sea, Vancouver I. to off Santa Rosa I., California . Type locality not specified. Leim's material came from Passamaquoddy Bay, St. Croix River and Campobello I., New Brunswick and St. Mary's Bay , Nova Scotia .

Remarks. Apparently unaware of the name given to the Atlantic species, Makarov (1935) created a homonym when describing the North Pacific species. Koyakova (1936) re-named the Pacific species, but did not designate any distinctive features that would differentiate it from the Atlantic species. Hayashi (1992: 118, fig, 4) redescribed and illustrated L. fasciatus . Chace (1997: 45, 51) gave the synonymy of Hetairus zebra with Lebbeus fasciatus but did not cite the Atlantic Lebbeus zebra .

Lebbeus zebra is known from very few Pacific specimens. The Pacific and Atlantic specimens of L. zebra are very similar in morphology and habitat. Williams (1984) noted that Atlantic and Pacific specimens differed in the shape of the rostrum, but other species of Lebbeus exhibit considerable variation in this feature. It is likely that L. fasciatus and L. zebra have been confused in the literature. The specimens from Santa Rosa I., California more closely resemble those from St. Mary's Bay, Nova Scotia than those from Vancouver I., British Columbia.