PEREZ FARFANTE: AMERICAN SOLENOCERID SHRIMPS 





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FIGURE 33. — Pleoticus robustus, syntype 2 49 mm cl, south of 

 Curasao. A, Thelycum, ventral view. B, 2 61 mm cl, west of 

 Riohacha, Colombia. Portion of sternite XIV showing seta- 

 bearing depressions. 



(1970) found that in animals observed from a 

 submarine the "Color varied from grayish pink to 

 red — similar to color observed on trawl-caught 

 specimens." A diel color change was pointed out 

 by Bullis (1956), who stated "nighttime catches 

 are typically bright red, while catches landed 

 during daylight hours are a light pink." Recently, 

 Garcia del Barco (1972) has confirmed this cir- 

 cadian variation. 



My examination of large quantities of freshly 

 collected animals during a 1969 cruise of the 



Oregon II in the Caribbean (Puerto Rico to 

 Antigua) corroborated earlier observations of the 

 great variation in this character, and disclosed 

 the existence of many color patterns. The overall 

 body color ranges from off white through pink 

 and salmon to deep red, and the color pattern 

 may consist of a few bright lines — mostly on var- 

 ious carinae — or even an abundance of strong 

 markings. Opaque white and, particularly, 

 reddish with white markings individuals were 

 very common, whereas salmon ones, apparently 

 similar in color to those shrimps from the northern 

 Gulf of Mexico described by Burkenroad, were 

 infrequent. 



Descriptions of three color phases observed 

 follow: 



Pink-red phase: Body pink, marked with red 

 and white. Gastric region intense pink; rostrum 

 brilliant red with tip paler; anterior rostral teeth 

 with bases red and apices light, but teeth posterior 

 to orbital margin with brilliant deep red apices; 

 small white patch in area between orbital, post- 

 orbital, and antennal spines; cardiac region light 

 red; anteroventral border as well as antennal and 

 cervical carinae and contiguous spines deep red; 

 longitudinal opaque white stripe tapering from 

 anteroventral margin (dorsal to branchiostegal 

 spine) to depressed area below hepatic spine, 

 from there broadening abruptly along entire 

 cervical sulcus, then tapering again to about 

 level of third pereopod, there forming narrow, 

 short stripe, continuing along posterior margin 

 of carapace then recurving anteriorly, parallel 

 to ventral margin, to level of base of second maxil- 

 liped, ending there in elongate white patch; deep 

 red stripe inserted between arms of pink one. 

 Abdomen light pink anteriorly, increasingly 

 deep pink posteriorly, turning red on sixth somite; 

 first five somites with posterior margin of tergum 

 bordered by transverse red band, and posterior 

 margin of pleuron with white band continuing 

 anteriorly onto ventral margin; middorsal carina 

 as well as posterior and ventrolateral margins 

 of sixth somite brilliant red. Telson light red, 

 with carinae, lateral margins, and transverse 

 band proximal to terminal portion deep red. Basal 

 podomere of uropod pink with lateral margin red; 

 lateral ramus intense pink except for deep red 

 tip; mesial ramus with pink proximal portion 

 followed by white transverse band and latter, in 

 turn, by red marking covering distal portion ex- 

 cept for white mesial patch. Antennular peduncle 

 light red, but apex of stylocerite and distolateral 



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