February to November in various localities from 

 North Carolina to the Gulf coast; in April in 

 Bermuda; and September in Venezuela. Adults 

 usually occur in pairs (Wass, 1955). 



Synalpheus townsendi Coutiere. Small snapping shrimp 



Figure 58 



Synalpheus townsendi Coutiere, 1909, p. 32, figs. 14-17 ; Hay 

 and Shore. 1918, p. 384, pi. 26. fig. 1 (rev.). — Verill, 1922, p. 

 100 (rev.). 



Recognition characters. — Rostrum slender, 1.5 

 times as long as lateral teeth and reaching usually 

 to end of proximal third of second article of 

 antennular peduncle, armed with a ventral pro- 

 longation embracing ocellary beak. Teeth on 

 orbital hoods slender; eyes completely covered by 

 hoods. Basal antennular article with stylocerite 

 reaching about as far as rostrum; third article 

 about half length of second ; inner flagellum fili- 

 form, outer flagellum thickened proximally, 

 bifurcate beyond fourth joint. Antennal scale 

 with strong, slender lateral spine separated from 

 and exceeding lamella distally, spine reaching 

 about to or beyond end of antennal peduncle; 

 basicerite well developed, angled above but lack- 

 ing dorsal spine, extremity reaching to distal third 

 of basal antennular article. 



First pair of legs chelate, very unequal. Large 

 chela with a small, acute dorsal spine at distal 

 margin of palm ; upper margin of dactyl elevated 

 into a thick crest; carpus small, irregularly short- 

 ened; merus with dorsolateral margin convex, 

 ending in a hooked spine. Small chela one-third 

 length of large one; no brush of hairs on dactyl. 

 Second pair of legs slender, weakly chelate; 

 carpus subdivided, first joint longer than others 

 combined. Third to fifth legs with bifurcate 

 dactyls, both hooks nearly parallel, ventral one 

 narrower and much shorter than dorsal. 



Abdomen compressed. Telson with sides some- 

 what convergent; posterior angles sharp and each 

 provided with a pair of spines, inner spine longer 

 than outer; two pairs of strong dorsal spines, firsl 

 pair at one-third, second at two-thirds length. 

 Uropods ovate, exopod with lateral margin ending 

 in a notch with a strong fixed spine at its outer 

 and inner angles, between these spines a longer 

 movable spine. 



Measurements. -Length of body: ovigerous fe- 

 males, 13 mm. 



Figure 58. — Synalpheus townsendi Coutiere. A, anterior 

 part of body in dorsal view, with appendages of left 

 side; B, tip of large chela; C, large, cheliped, merus. 

 carpus and proximal end of propodus; D, small first 

 cheliped; E, second leg showing subdivided carpus; F, 

 dactyl of third leg; (J, telson in dorsal view (after 

 Coutiere, 100!)). 



Variations. — The rostrum is variable in length, 

 often shorter than as described above. 



Color. — Body and legs translucent pinkish red; 

 large chela pink, changing to green on lingers. 



Habitat. — Often found in large sponges; low 

 ! ide mark to 56 fathoms. 



Type locality. — Gulf of Mexico, Albatross sta- 

 tion 2373. 



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