The Planktonic Shrimp, Lucifer chacei sp. nov., (Sergestidae: Luciferinae), 
the Pacific Twin of the Atlantic Lucifer faxoni 
Thomas E. Bowman 1 
ABSTRACT: Lucifer chacei sp. nov., closely related to the Atlantic L. faxoni and 
identified as the latter species by previous authors, is described and compared with 
L. faxoni. It is widely distributed in the tropical Pacific, and like L. faxoni inhabits 
coastal waters. 
The planktonic shrimp genus Lucifer (fam- 
ily Sergestidae) contains six currently recog- 
nized species, of which all have been reported 
from the Indo-Pacific, but only two, L. typus 
Milne Edwards and L. faxoni Borradaile, are 
known to occur in the Atlantic. An unpublished 
study which I recently completed on the dis- 
tribution of the two Atlantic species off the 
southeastern coast of the United States shows 
that L. faxoni is essentially a coastal species. 
Since coastal plankters more often than not are 
restricted to one ocean, or even to a single 
coast of one ocean, it seemed advisable to re- 
examine the evidence for the occurrence in the 
Indo-Pacific of L. faxoni, the type locality of 
which is in the Atlantic, off Chesapeake Bay 
(restricted by Holthuis, 1959). 
For this study Atlantic specimens of L. faxoni 
from Bloody Bay, Tobago, West Indies, were 
compared with Pacific specimens of Lucifer 
from Eniwetok, Marshall Islands, and from 
several of the Society Islands. Both Atlantic and 
Pacific specimens key out to L. faxoni in Han- 
sen (1919), but they are specifically distinct, 
and a new species is established herein for the 
Pacific form. 
Surprisingly, the common short-eyestalked 
Atlantic species, L. faxoni , has never been de- 
scribed and illustrated adequately (Hansen’s 
drawings of L. faxoni in his 1919 monograph 
are actually of the new Pacific species) ; hence 
illustrations of taxonomically important features 
of L. faxoni are given herein. 
1 Division of Crustacea, Smithsonian Institution, 
Washington, D.C. 20560. Manuscript received March 
7 , 1966 . 
Lucifer chacei , new species 
Figs. 1-4 
Lucifer faxoni Borradaile. — Hansen, 1919: 
61-63, pi. 5, figs. 3a-3i. — Edmondson, 
1925:5 .—Hiatt, 1 947 : 241-242 .— Chace, 
1955:4. 
Leucifer reynaudi H. Milne Edwards. — Ed- 
mondson, 1923:35. 
MATERIAL EXAMINED: MARSHALL ISLANDS: 
Eniwetok Atoll; lagoon, 4.8 km west of Parry 
I., net tow at depth of approximately 3 m, 26- 
27 July I960, 2435-0800 hours, by Woods 
Hole Oceanographic Institution, $ holotype 
(usnm 113327), $ allotype (usnm 113328) 
and 55 paratypes. Rongelap Atoll; 1 km off 
Yugui I., depth of water 24 m, dip net under 
night light, 30 July 1946, by Earl S. Herald, 
3 $ , in poor condition, reported as L. faxoni 
by Chace (1955). tuamotu islands: Tikahau 
Atoll ; lagoon, south of deep water pass, net tow 
at depth of approximately 4 m, 12 April 1957, 
2015-2030 hours, station 19 of Smithsonian 
Bredin 1957 Expedition, 43 specimens, society 
islands (Smithsonian-Bredin 1957 Expedition 
stations): Tahiti: Papeete Harbor, dip net 
under night light, 4 May, 2100-2130 hours, 
station 99, 40+ specimens. Moorea: Opunohu 
Bay, east side, net tows, 9 May, 1530 hours, 
station 114, 43 juveniles. Bora Bora: East of 
Farepiti Point, dip net under night light, 24 
April, 2000-2030 hours, station 52, 50+ spec- 
imens; off Teraia Point, depth of water 30 m, 
net tows, 25 April, 0900-1100 hours, station 
55, 24 specimens; west of north end of Toopua 
I., depth of water 13 m, dip net under light, 
25 April, 2030-2100 hours, station 63, 30+ 
specimens. 
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