Synalpheus
Encyclopedia
Synalpheus is a genus
of snapping shrimp
of the family
Alpheidae
, presently containing more than 100 species
; new ones are being described on a regular basis, and the exact number even of described species is disputed: the genus Zuzalpheus was established for S. gambarelloides, S. brooksi, and their closest relatives, which contain several notably eusocial species. While these do seem to form a clade
, it is not fully resolved whether or not they are indeed the sister taxon of all the remaining Synalpheus.
However, a detailed cladistic study of morphological characters found well marked differences between the proposed two genera and concluded that the supposed species groups around S. biunguiculatus/S. coutierei, S. brevicarpus and S. neomeris are neither clearly defined nor, as it seems, monophyletic, while the group separated in Zuzalpheus was clearly distinct in characters of the minor first walking legs (pereiopods), and usually distinct in some others; in all Synalpheus sensu stricto checked to date, the transverse seta
l comb on the back of the minor first pereopod dactyl
is missing, and the carpus
is plump (about as wide as it is long or slightly wider) and small (not longer than half the length of the palm).
Moreover, their stylocerite clearly extends beyond the whole first segment of the first antenna
e, their scaphocerite blade is never missing, the fixed finger of the major first pereopod is about the same length as the dactyl and the uropodal exopod always has one tooth only; these traits however may be also present in some of the species separated in Zuzalpheus though as far as can be told, most of these differ. While the authors of the 2008 analysis made no explicit comment on the status of the newly-proposed genus, they thus found the S. gambarelloides species group to be well-marked, and their results certainly harden the case for recognition of Zuzalpheus at least as a subgenus. However, this analysis only included 2 species from the S. gambarelloides species group, and none from the Caribbean, where the vast majority of the group resides. Opinion is still divided, however, and recently Zuzalpheus was synonymised with Synalpheus.
In the narrow sense used here, Synalpheus occur in the East Pacific where they are most plentiful and probably originated, and to a lesser extent in the Atlantic and the Indian Ocean
. It may thus be that the closure of the Isthmus of Panama
in the Piacenzian
(about 3 million years ago) was a key factor in separating the two lineages, as species referred to Zuzalpheus are most plentiful in the western Atlantic.
The snapping behavior of Synalpheus is rather well studied. In Synalpheus parneomeris, peak to peak source levels of 185–190 dB re 1 μPa at 1 m were measured, depending on the size of the claw.
Synalpheus contains the following species:
Genus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
of snapping shrimp
Shrimp
Shrimp are swimming, decapod crustaceans classified in the infraorder Caridea, found widely around the world in both fresh and salt water. Adult shrimp are filter feeding benthic animals living close to the bottom. They can live in schools and can swim rapidly backwards. Shrimp are an important...
of the family
Family (biology)
In biological classification, family is* a taxonomic rank. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, genus, and species, with family fitting between order and genus. As for the other well-known ranks, there is the option of an immediately lower rank, indicated by the...
Alpheidae
Alpheidae
Alpheidae is a family of caridean snapping shrimp characterized by having asymmetrical claws, the larger of which is typically capable of producing a loud snapping sound. Other common names of these species include pistol shrimp or alpheid shrimp.The family is diverse and worldwide in distribution,...
, presently containing more than 100 species
Species
In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...
; new ones are being described on a regular basis, and the exact number even of described species is disputed: the genus Zuzalpheus was established for S. gambarelloides, S. brooksi, and their closest relatives, which contain several notably eusocial species. While these do seem to form a clade
Clade
A clade is a group consisting of a species and all its descendants. In the terms of biological systematics, a clade is a single "branch" on the "tree of life". The idea that such a "natural group" of organisms should be grouped together and given a taxonomic name is central to biological...
, it is not fully resolved whether or not they are indeed the sister taxon of all the remaining Synalpheus.
However, a detailed cladistic study of morphological characters found well marked differences between the proposed two genera and concluded that the supposed species groups around S. biunguiculatus/S. coutierei, S. brevicarpus and S. neomeris are neither clearly defined nor, as it seems, monophyletic, while the group separated in Zuzalpheus was clearly distinct in characters of the minor first walking legs (pereiopods), and usually distinct in some others; in all Synalpheus sensu stricto checked to date, the transverse seta
Seta
Seta is a biological term derived from the Latin word for "bristle". It refers to a number of different bristle- or hair-like structures on living organisms.-Animal setae:In zoology, most "setae" occur in invertebrates....
l comb on the back of the minor first pereopod dactyl
Dactyl
Dactyl may refer to:* Dactyl , a creature in Greek mythology* Dactyl , a metrical foot consisting of one long syllable and two short* Dactyl , the small natural satellite orbiting the asteroid Ida...
is missing, and the carpus
Carpus
In tetrapods, the carpus is the sole cluster of bones in the wrist between the radius and ulna and the metacarpus. The bones of the carpus do not belong to individual fingers , whereas those of the metacarpus do. The corresponding part of the foot is the tarsus...
is plump (about as wide as it is long or slightly wider) and small (not longer than half the length of the palm).
Moreover, their stylocerite clearly extends beyond the whole first segment of the first antenna
Antenna (biology)
Antennae in biology have historically been paired appendages used for sensing in arthropods. More recently, the term has also been applied to cilium structures present in most cell types of eukaryotes....
e, their scaphocerite blade is never missing, the fixed finger of the major first pereopod is about the same length as the dactyl and the uropodal exopod always has one tooth only; these traits however may be also present in some of the species separated in Zuzalpheus though as far as can be told, most of these differ. While the authors of the 2008 analysis made no explicit comment on the status of the newly-proposed genus, they thus found the S. gambarelloides species group to be well-marked, and their results certainly harden the case for recognition of Zuzalpheus at least as a subgenus. However, this analysis only included 2 species from the S. gambarelloides species group, and none from the Caribbean, where the vast majority of the group resides. Opinion is still divided, however, and recently Zuzalpheus was synonymised with Synalpheus.
In the narrow sense used here, Synalpheus occur in the East Pacific where they are most plentiful and probably originated, and to a lesser extent in the Atlantic and the Indian Ocean
Indian Ocean
The Indian Ocean is the third largest of the world's oceanic divisions, covering approximately 20% of the water on the Earth's surface. It is bounded on the north by the Indian Subcontinent and Arabian Peninsula ; on the west by eastern Africa; on the east by Indochina, the Sunda Islands, and...
. It may thus be that the closure of the Isthmus of Panama
Isthmus of Panama
The Isthmus of Panama, also historically known as the Isthmus of Darien, is the narrow strip of land that lies between the Caribbean Sea and the Pacific Ocean, linking North and South America. It contains the country of Panama and the Panama Canal...
in the Piacenzian
Piacenzian
The Piacenzian is in the international geologic timescale the upper stage or latest age of the Pliocene. It spans the time between 3.6 ± 0.005 Ma and 2.588 ± 0.005 Ma...
(about 3 million years ago) was a key factor in separating the two lineages, as species referred to Zuzalpheus are most plentiful in the western Atlantic.
The snapping behavior of Synalpheus is rather well studied. In Synalpheus parneomeris, peak to peak source levels of 185–190 dB re 1 μPa at 1 m were measured, depending on the size of the claw.
Synalpheus contains the following species:
- Synalpheus agelas Pequegnat & Heard, 1979
- Synalpheus albatrossi Coutière, 1909
- Synalpheus amabilis De Man, 1910
- Synalpheus anasimus Chace, 1972
- Synalpheus anceps Banner, 1956
- Synalpheus ancistrorhynchus De Man, 1909
- Synalpheus androsi Coutière, 1909
- Synalpheus antenor De Man, 1910
- Synalpheus apioceros Coutière, 1909
- Synalpheus arostris Wicksten, 1989
- Synalpheus bannerorum Abele, 1975
- Synalpheus barahonensis Armstrong, 1949
- Synalpheus belizensis Anker & Tóth, 2008
- Synalpheus bispinosus De Man, 1910
- Synalpheus bituberculatus De Man, 1910
- Synalpheus biunguiculatus (Stimpson, 1860)
- Synalpheus bocas Anker & Tóth, 2008
- Synalpheus bousfieldi Chace, 1972
- Synalpheus brachyceros Nobili, 1906
- Synalpheus bradleyi Verrill, 1922
- Synalpheus brevicarpus (Herrick, 1891)
- Synalpheus brevidactylus Anker & Tóth, 2008
- Synalpheus brevifrons Chace, 1972
- Synalpheus brevispinus Coutière, 1909
- Synalpheus brooksi Coutière, 1909
- Synalpheus carinatus (De Man, 1888)
- Synalpheus carpenteriSynalpheus carpenteriSynalpheus carpenteri is a species of sponge-dwelling snapping shrimp described in 2006 from specimens collected from the Belizean Barrier Reef of the Exuma Islands, Bahamas, and the Atlantic coast of Panama. The species is named in honor of Michael Carpenter, Caribbean Coral Reef Ecosystem...
MacDonald & Duffy, 2006 - Synalpheus chacei Duffy, 1998
- Synalpheus charon (Heller, 1861)
- Synalpheus comatularum (Haswell, 1882)
- Synalpheus corallinus MacDonald, Hultgren & Duffy, 2009
- Synalpheus coutierei Banner, 1953
- Synalpheus cretoculatus Banner & Banner, 1979
- Synalpheus crosnieri Banner & Banner, 1983
- Synalpheus curacaoensis Schmitt, 1924
- Synalpheus dardeaui (Ríos & Duffy, 2007)
- Synalpheus demani Borradaile, 1900
- Synalpheus digueti Coutière, 1909
- Synalpheus disparodigitus Armstrong, 1949
- Synalpheus dominicensis Armstrong, 1949
- Synalpheus dorae Bruce, 1988
- Synalpheus duffyi Anker & Tóth, 2008
- Synalpheus echinus Banner & Banner, 1975
- Synalpheus elizabethae (Ríos & Duffy, 2007)
- Synalpheus filidigitus Armstrong, 1949
- Synalpheus fossor (Paul'son, 1875)
- Synalpheus fritzmuelleri Coutière, 1909
- Synalpheus gambarelloides (Nardo, 1847)
- Synalpheus goodei Coutière, 1909
- Synalpheus gracilirostris De Man, 1910
- Synalpheus haddoni Coutière, 1900
- Synalpheus harpagatrus Banner & Banner, 1975
- Synalpheus hastilicrassus Coutière, 1905
- Synalpheus heardi M. Dardeau, 1984
- Synalpheus hemphilli Coutière, 1909
- Synalpheus herdmaniae Lebour, 1938
- Synalpheus heroni Coutière, 1909
- Synalpheus herricki Coutière, 1909
- Synalpheus hilarulus De Man, 1910
- Synalpheus hoetjesi Hultgren, MacDonald & Duffy, 2010
- Synalpheus huluensi
- Synalpheus idios (Ríos & Duffy, 2007)
- Synalpheus iocasta De Man, 1909
- Synalpheus iphinoe De Man, 1909
- Synalpheus irie MacDonald, Hultgren & Duffy, 2009
- Synalpheus jedanensis De Man, 1909
- Synalpheus kensleyi (Ríos & Duffy, 2007)
- Synalpheus kuadramanus Hultgren, MacDonald & Duffy, 2010
- Synalpheus kusaiensis Kubo, 1940
- Synalpheus lani Hermoso & Alvarez, 2005
- Synalpheus laticeps Coutière, 1905
- Synalpheus lockingtoni Coutière, 1909
- Synalpheus longicarpus (Herrick, 1891)
- Synalpheus lophodactylus Coutière, 1908
- Synalpheus macromanus Edmondson, 1925
- Synalpheus mcclendoni Coutière, 1910
- Synalpheus merospiniger Coutière, 1908
- Synalpheus mexicanus Coutière, 1909
- Synalpheus microneptunus Hultgren, MacDonald & Duffy, 2011
- Synalpheus minus (Say, 1818)
- Synalpheus modestus De Man, 1909
- Synalpheus mortenseni Banner & Banner, 1985
- Synalpheus mulegensis Ríos, 1992
- Synalpheus mushaensis Coutière, 1908
- Synalpheus neomeris (De Man, 1897)
- Synalpheus neptunus (Dana, 1852)
- Synalpheus nilandensis Coutière, 1905
- Synalpheus nobilii Coutière, 1909
- Synalpheus obtusifrons Chace, 1972
- Synalpheus occidentalis Coutière, 1909
- Synalpheus odontophorus De Man, 1909
- Synalpheus orapilosus Hultgren, MacDonald & Duffy, 2010
- Synalpheus otiosus Coutière, 1908
- Synalpheus pachymeris Coutière, 1905
- Synalpheus pandionis Coutière, 1909
- Synalpheus paradoxus Banner & Banner, 1981
- Synalpheus paralaticeps Banner & Banner, 1982
- Synalpheus paraneomeris Coutière, 1905
- Synalpheus paraneptunus Coutière, 1909
- Synalpheus parfaiti (Coutière, 1898)
- Synalpheus paulsoni Nobili, 1906
- Synalpheus paulsonoides Coutière, 1909
- Synalpheus pectiniger Coutière, 1907
- Synalpheus peruvianus Rathbun, 1910
- Synalpheus pescadorensis Coutière, 1905
- Synalpheus plumosetosus MacDonald, Hultgren & Duffy, 2009
- Synalpheus pococki Coutière, 1898
- Synalpheus quadriarticulatus Banner & Banner, 1975
- Synalpheus quadrispinosus De Man, 1910
- Synalpheus quinquedens Tattersall, 1921
- Synalpheus rathbunae Coutière, 1909
- Synalpheus readi Banner & Banner, 1972
- Synalpheus recessus Abele & Kim, 1989
- Synalpheus redactocarpus Banner, 1953
- Synalpheus regalis Duffy, 1996
- Synalpheus riosi Anker & Tóth, 2008
- Synalpheus ruetzleri MacDonald & Duffy, 2006
- Synalpheus sanctithomae Coutière, 1909
- Synalpheus sanjosei Coutière, 1909
- Synalpheus sanlucasi Coutière, 1909
- Synalpheus saving
- Synalpheus scaphoceris Coutière, 1910
- Synalpheus sciro Banner & Banner, 1975
- Synalpheus senegambiensis Coutière, 1908
- Synalpheus septemspinosus De Man, 1910
- Synalpheus sladeni Coutière, 1908
- Synalpheus somalia Banner & Banner, 1979
- Synalpheus spinifrons (H. Milne-Edwards, 1837)
- Synalpheus spiniger (Stimpson, 1860)
- Synalpheus spongicola Banner & Banner, 1981
- Synalpheus stimpsoni (De Man, 1888)
- Synalpheus streptodactylus Coutière, 1905
- Synalpheus stylopleuron Hermoso Salazar & Hendrickx, 2006
- Synalpheus superus Abele & Kim, 1989
- Synalpheus tenuispina Coutière, 1909
- Synalpheus thai Banner & Banner, 1966
- Synalpheus theano De Man, 1910
- Synalpheus thele MacDonald, Hultgren & Duffy, 2009
- Synalpheus tijou Banner & Banner, 1982
- Synalpheus townsendi Coutière, 1909
- Synalpheus triacanthus De Man, 1910
- Synalpheus tricuspidatus (Heller, 1861)
- Synalpheus tridentulatus (Dana, 1852)
- Synalpheus trispinosus De Man, 1910
- Synalpheus triunguiculatus (Paul'son, 1875)
- Synalpheus tropidodactylus Banner & Banner, 1975
- Synalpheus tumidomanus Paulson, 1875
- Synalpheus tuthilli Banner, 1959
- Synalpheus ul (Ríos & Duffy, 2007)
- Synalpheus wickstenae Hermoso Salazar & Hendrickx, 2006
- Synalpheus williamsi Ríos & Duffy, 1999
- Synalpheus yano (Ríos & Duffy, 2007)