Decapoda

We analyzed the social structure, sexual dimorphism and relative growth in the burrowing shrimp Callichirus seilacheri from the tropical eastern Pacific. To this end, 456 individuals of C. seilacheri were collected during monthly sampling from December 2011 to November 2012. No shrimp pairs or burrows inhabited by more than one shrimp were detected during the study period. Males were significantly smaller than females, denoting sexual dimorphism with respect to body size. In many juvenile males and females, the size of the right and left claws was the same, whereas in others the largest cheliped was located on the right or left
side. Analysis of allometric growth between cheliped carpus length and cephalothorax length revealed an isometric relationship in juveniles of both sexes and adult females and positive allometric growth in adult males. The adjustment of the above relationship by the Somerton’s method, denoted the existence of two main phases of growth related to sexual maturity, with transition points between juvenile and adult phase at 12.3 mm and 12.0 mm of body size for males and females, respectively. The observations on social structure, sexual dimorphism and relative growth of C. seilacheri argued that this species is polygamous. Furthermore, the high frequency of solitary females found brooding embryos suggested that males might roam among galleries in search of receptive females.

The import of aquarium animals has been increasing worldwide in recent years. Despite its contribution to world trade and the economy, this trade also comprises one of the main pathways for the introduction of non-indigenous animals. In the past decade, crayfish has become a popular
pet as well as a potential threat to the environment upon its escape or release. Since the Czech Republic is one of the world’s leading importer, exporter, and producer of aquatic ornamental animals, we prepared a detailed analysis of crayfish imports. The present paper provides a complete
list of countries supplying ornamental crayfish and examines trends of their prices and imported quantities during the past decade (2003–2012). Indonesia has been identified as the leading supplier in recent years. The annual average price of imported crayfish has varied over the evaluated
period within the range of c0.76–4.72 per individual and it is rising annually by c0.15. The quantity of live crayfish imported for aquarium purposes has not been affected significantly by the price per individual and it has
grown rapidly. Therefore a constant monitoring of this pet trade sector is strongly recommended for the future.

A new species of ghost shrimp, Neocallichirus pinheiroi, is described based on specimens collected in subtidal habitats of Saquaira beach, northeastern coast of Brazil. This new species resembles N. lemaitrei Manning, 1993, but differs from it primarily in having a third maxilliped propodus expanded ventrally, and in the case of males, a large subtriangular tooth on the cutting edge of the major cheliped dactylus. Diagnostic features of the new species include: (i) frontal margin of carapace with rounded lateral projections not exceeding rostrum distal margin, (ii) third maxilliped carpus with row of sclerotized setae on median internal surface, (iii) minor cheliped with cutting edge of dactylus microscopically pectinate, (iv) endopod of male second pleopod with appendices interna and masculina. This is the seventh described species of the genus Neocallichirus from the western Atlantic and the
fourth report of this genus in Brazil. A key for identification of western Atlantic species belonging to the genus is provided.

In this report, I review the taxonomic history, body adaptations, ecology, and reproduction of the infraorders Axiidea (ghost shrimps) and Gebiidea (mud lobsters). Known until recently as the " Thalassinidea, " modern classification divided Axiidea into six families and Gebiidea into five. Ghost shrimps are characterized by having the first and second pereiopod chelate and a soft and delicate body, whereas mud lobsters possess the first pereiopod chelate or subchelate and second pereiopod subchelate or simple with a hard and heavily calcified body. Among the main body adaptations of these organisms are distinguished: (i) carapace laterally compressed, (ii) pleon longer than the cephalotho-rax in ghost shrimps but usually shorter in mud lobsters, and (iii) anterior feet thrown directly forward. Current accounting of axiideans and gebiideans reaches around 781 and 240 extant species, respectively, with major number of species in Callianassidae and Upogebiidae within of each clade. Male reproductive system involves paired testes linked to the vas deferens that open in gonopores on the ventral coxal segment of the fifth pereiopod. In females, the reproductive system is composed of paired and colored ovaries , one ovary shorter than another, and a pair of short and translucent oviducts linking each ovary to the gonopore, this latter located on the ventral coxal of the third pereiopod. When present in males, the first pleopod is sexually dimorphic. Most ghost shrimps show distinct sexual dimorphism in body size and the major cheliped which become them in a promising group for growth studies. Hypertrophied chelipeds in males are often used to defend galleries against invasion from other shrimps from the same or opposite sex or during the intense male-to-male competition for sexual partners. Knowledge about sexual systems of these species remains limited; however, available information suggests that hermaphroditism might be commonly present in axiideans and gebiide-ans. Regarding mating systems, all species of ghost shrimp and mud lobster with solitary habits and remarkable sexual dimorphism in the major cheliped are expected to be polygamous. Finally, considerable variability among Axiidea and Gebiidea species in fecundity and egg size may indicate important differences in the reproductive strategy and may also reflect a latitudinal trend as observed in other decapods.

A contaminated aquatic environment may end up in the food chain and pose risks to tourist health in a tourist destination. To assess the health risk for tourists that visit St. Martine Island, which is a popular domestic and foreign tourist destination in Bangladesh, a study is undertaken to analyse the level of heavy metal contamination from chromium (Cr), manganese (Mn), copper (Cu), zinc (Zn), arsenic (As), cadmium (Cd), lead (Pb), mercury (Hg) and iron (Fe) in six of the most consumed fish (L. fasciatus, R. kanagurta, H. nigrescens, P. cuneatus, P. annularis and S. rubrum) and five crustacean species, which consist of a shrimp (P. sculptilis), a lobster (P. versicolor) and three crabs (P. sanguinolentus, T. crenata and M. victor) captured. The samples were analysed for trace metals using atomic absorption spectrometer, and the concentrations of the metals were interpreted using the United State Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) health risk model. The muscle and carapace/ex...

The carapace and chelipeds ornamentation of the deep-water spider crab Rochinia umbonata (Stimpson, 1871), from the Western Atlantic undergo very dramatic ontogenetic changes. Since the also deep-water spider crab Rochinia confusa Tavares, 1991 is differentiated from R. umbonata mostly on the basis of these characters, R. confusa is regarded herein as an ontogenetic stage and, therefore, a junior subjective synonym of R. umbonata.

Two new finds of crab’s carapaces of Coeloma balticum Schl ter, 1879 from the Upper Eocene of the Sambia Peninsula of the Kaliningrad Region are described. A list of all known crabs from the Eocene of Sambia on topical taxonomic data is given. For the first time published a photograph of the holotype of C. balticum, as well as the surviving specimens of crabs from collection of F. Noetling.

aBstract Th e morphology of the fi rst zoeal stage of the decorator crab Macrocoeloma subparallelum (Stimpson, 1860) from Cuba is described and compared with the available descriptions for the genus. Among Macrocoeloma Miers, 1879 species, the fi rst zoea of M. subparallelum can be diff erentiated only by the number of aesthetascs and setae of the antennule (4 and 2, respectively). Recently, Macrocoeloma has been placed as an incertae sedis genus in Majoidea, closely allied to other Epialtidae and Pisinae members. Th e distinct spine in the distal segment of the endopod of the fi rst maxilliped in the zoeal stages of Macrocoeloma is similar to what we observe in other Epialtidae genera, a character that supports the recent phylogenetic fi ndings.

ABSTRACT In order to characterize the seasonal, bathymetric, and spatial distribution of the species, Palaemon adspersus, Palaemon elegans, and Crangon crangon, shrimps were sampled with a beam trawl in four stations at depths between 1 and 30 m from February 2002 to January 2004 on the Sinop Peninsula coasts of the southern Black Sea. One-way analysis of similarity (ANOSIM) results demonstrated that the caridean composition was significantly different (p < 0.001) between seasons and between sampling areas. No significant relationship of the caridean composition was evident between depth zones ranging from 1 to 30 m. These three carideans occurred together in 28.5% of the sampling occasions. Different seasonal migration pattern was evident for all the three species. Palaemon adspersus migrated inshore during relatively higher water temperatures, whereas C crangon density decreased in the shallow waters during the same period, and P. elegans population was mostly observed at depth zones of 5-10 m and was only observed in the 30 m depth zone in winter. The abiotic factors that characterize the coexistence of these three carideans were primarily determined by the habitat types and bottom structures.

A new species of Sunipea Griffin & Tranter, 1986 (Crustacea: Brachyura: Inachidae) and a redescription of Sunipea indicus (Alcock, 1895) Abstract A new species of spider crab, Sunipea callistus, n. sp., from Cape Guardafui, Somali Republic, is described and illustrated. Sunipea indicus (Alcock, 1895) is also redescribed and figured. Sunipea callistus n. sp. differs from S. indicus in the structures of the carapace, third maxillipeds, thoracic sternum, male abdomen, and chelipeds. Despite a number of characteristics that separate both species, these differences are more pronounced in males and are less evident in females. A diagnosis for the genus is provided.

Puerulus settlement of the western Atlantic spiny lobster, Panulirus argus, was monitored using modified Witham collectors from December 1996 to March 1998 at seven sites around St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands. A total of 605 pueruli were collected from 553 samples for a catch per unit effort (CPUE) for all sites of 1.09 pueruli. The greatest settlement occurred on sites within a recently declared marine reserve, which had an overall CPUE of 1.77 pueruli. Settlement in non-reserve sites was much lower with an overall CPUE of 0.31 pueruli. Pueruli recruitment declined 67% at inshore sites and 53% at offshore sites between July 1992 - April 1994 and February 1997 - March 1998. Also, only 10% of months sampled in 1997-98 had a CPUE > 0.5 compared to 55% in a previous study in 1992 - 1993. Despite the decline in pueruli CPUE in 1997-98 compared to 1992-94, the commercial lobster catch in the 2000-01 fishing season, and by inference the adult lobster population (legal lobster size in ...

Abstract In the Aegean Sea the trap fishery for narwal shrimp, Plesionika narval , contributes to social and cultural cohesion of local fishery communities. Spatial and temporal distribution patterns of narwal shrimp was studied during an annual cycle, including catch per unit effort (CPUE), sex ratio and proportion of ovigerous females in the population. Shrimps were sampled at five localities within the depth range of 10 to 170 m. Catch per unit effort increased during the summer period at all depths, when seawater temperature increase. Differences in CPUE were observed between depths, with highest catches at depths below 70 m. The proportion of females decreased significantly with depth, a pattern especially evident during the summer period (May to August), indicating a migration of females to shallower waters. Significant higher abundance of ovigerous females was observed during the period May to October, concurrently with a vertical migration of females to warmer waters. To further support this pattern, the proportion of ovigerous individuals among females increased with decreased depth at all seasons. We suggest that the findings of our study have significant implications to current and future management of narwal shrimp in the Mediterranean Sea.

... Other species of Crangon have been implicitly or explicitly assumed to be gonochoristic (Birkely and Gulliksen, 2003). ... Cahier d' Information, Direction Générale des Pêches Maritimes, Québec Province, 94: 44 pp. Birkely, SR and B. Gulliksen. 2003. ...

Hippolyte inermis Leach 1815 is a shrimp which forms stable populations in seagrass meadows of the Mediterranean Sea and along the Atlantic coast of Spain. Investigations from the last century have demonstrated specimens experiencing a male stage prior to switching to females (i.e., protandric sex reversal). Further studies have demonstrated that not all females are derived from sex reversal: young females apparently deriving from direct differentiation are present in natural populations. In recent years some authors have claimed that the species is simply gonochoristic, mainly based on the absence of ovotestis development. In order to establish if the species is a peculiar hermaphrodite or a simple gonochoristic, H. inermis postlarvae were individually cultured in Petri dishes in a semi-closed system. Their exuviae were regularly collected, fixed and stained, to monitor the sex and the size of each individual over time. In addition, histological sections were examined and we observ...

Hernáez et al. (2020) described a new species of ghost shrimp, Neocallichirus pinheiroi, from northeastern coast of Brazil, Western Atlantic. Although the description and figures presented by Hernáez et al. (2020) fully characterize the new species, the journal issue in which the description appeared was published online only, and the article in which N. pinheiroi appeared did not include a ZooBank registration number (LISD), required for validation of new names in electronic-only publications [vide Art. 8.5.3 of the amended Code of the International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature (ICZN, 1999, 2012)]. As result, the name Neocallichirus pinheiroi Hernáez, Windsor, Paula & Santana, 2020, is not available according the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature (ICZN, 1999, 2012). Therefore, the present note serves to validate the name Neocallichirus pinheiroi by fulfilling the ICZN conditions for nomenclatural availability. 

A new species of the rare burrowing mud shrimp genus Naushonia has been found at Inhaca Island, in southern Mogambique. This is the sixth species in the genus, the first one found in the southern hemisphere and the second one found in the Indian Ocean. It was obtained from the entrance of its burrow in low water on a tidal flat. ABSTRACT A new species of the rare burrowing mud shrimp genus Naushonia has been found at Inhaca Island, in southern Mogambique. This is the sixth species in the genus, the first one found in the southern hemisphere and the second one found in the Indian Ocean. It was obtained from ABSTRACT A new species of the rare burrowing mud shrimp genus Naushonia has been found at Inhaca Island, in southern Mogambique. This is the sixth species in the genus, the first one found in the southern hemisphere and the second one found in the Indian Ocean. It was obtained from the entrance of its burrow in low water on a tidal flat. The species of the genus Naushonia have a c...

Maria Alexandra Chícharo1*, Tânia Leitão1, Pedro Range1, Cristina Gutierrez2, Jesus Morales2, Pedro Morais1 and Luís Chícharo1 1CIMAR/CCMAR – Centro de Ciências do Mar, Faculdade de Ciências do Mar e do Ambiente, Campus de Gambelas, Universidade ...

Phylogenetic analysis of most genera within fossil and extant Raninoida (Brachyura) based on 72 adult morphological characters yielded a new superfamily and family level classification for the section. The section was most diverse at the family level during the Late Cretaceous but remains diverse at the genus and species level in the Holocene. New subfamilies include Bicornisranininae, Macroacaeninae, and Rogueinae within Lyreididae. New genera include Colombicarcinus, Alessandranina, Claudioranina, Giulianolyreidus and Italianira, and one new species, Colombicarcinus laevis, is described. New combinations include Alessandranina ornata (Wright and Collins, 1972), Claudioranina oblonga (Beschin, Busulini, de Angeli, and Tessier, 1988), Heus manningi (Bishop and Williams, 2000), Italianira punctulata (Beschin, Busulini, de Angeli, and Tessier, 1988), Giulianolyreidus bidentatus (Rathbun, 1935a), G. johnsoni (Rathbun, 1935a), Lyreidus teodorii (van Bakel et al., 2012), Macroacaena trid...

A new species of porcellanid crab, Raphidopus persicus, is described from Iran and Iraq in the Persian Gulf. The speciesis distinguished from its congeners, R. ciliatus Stimpson, 1858, R. indicus Henderson, 1893, and R. johnsoni Ng & Naka-sone, 1994, by a combination of carapace features, structure of the third maxilliped and thoracic sternum, cheliped armature, and proportions of the ambulatory legs.

Two new species of karst sesarmid crabs of the genus Karstarma Davie & Ng, 2007, are described from western Papua, Indonesia. Karstarma ardea n. sp. differs from the allied K. ultrapes (Ng, Guinot & Iliffe, 1994) from the Solomon Islands by its proportionately shorter ambulatory legs and the shape of its vulva. Karstarma waigeo n. sp. is closest to K. balicum (Ng, 2002) from Bali, Indonesia, but differs in its proportionately longer ambulatory legs and in the morphology of the male first gonopod.