Deep-Water Lobsters (Astacidea, Polychelida), Shrimps 
(Caridea, Penaeoidea), and a Lophogastrid from the 
California Academy of Sciences’ 2011 Hearst Philippine 
Biodiversity Expedition 
Mary K. Wicksten 
Department of Biology, Texas A&M University, College Station Texas 77843-3258 
Email: wicksten@bio.tamu.edu 
Six species of penaeoid shrimps, 18 carideans, two astacideans and three polychelids 
were coUected at depths of 82-836 m in Balayan Bay, the Verde Island Passage and 
north of Lubang Island at the southern end of the island of Luzon. Carideans (fam¬ 
ily Pandalidae) were the most abundant and diverse. Most were benthic species 
taken on sandy or muddy bottoms, but five species of carideans probably were 
caught accidentally in mid-water. All of the species have been reported previously 
from the Philippines or nearby countries. 
During May-June 2011, members of the team from the California Academy of Sciences (CAS) 
and colleagues from the National Museum of the Philippines (NMP) collected deep-water species 
by open trawl at the southern end of Luzon. The specimens were shared between CAS and the 
NMP. 
Previous work on deep-water decapods of the Philippines consists largely of the collections of 
the U.S. Fisheries StQmiQr Albatross in 1907-1910, now at the National Museum of Natural His¬ 
tory (formerly United States National Museum, Washington, D.C.). The carideans of that expedi¬ 
tion were studied in detail by F. A. Chace, Jr. (1984, 1985, 1986, 1988). Useful records of 
penaeoids and keys to the genera are found in the worldwide work of Perez Farfante and Kensley 
(1997) as well as in many papers based on the MUSORSTOM studies of the biota of New Caledo¬ 
nia and other Pacific French territories. Chan (1998) published a good illustrated guide to the 
astacideans of the Western Pacific and keys to the penaeoids and carideans, especially those of 
commercial interest. Ongoing studies through the Raffles Museum in Singapore and by researchers 
in Taiwan and Japan continually add to knowledge of the shrimps of the area. 
Many deep-water crustaceans from the Philippines have extensive ranges, some being known 
from the east coast of Africa across the Indian and Pacific Oceans to Hawaii or even some of the 
remote eastern Pacific islands. Some midwater species, such as Systellaspis debilis, seem to have 
worldwide distributions in warm temperate to fropical waters (Chace 1986). Further examination 
by more refined morphological or molecular methods might distinguish among local populations 
of these species. 
The following report provides lists of species with their CAS catalog numbers by station taken 
on the continental shelf (82-185 m) and continental slope (186-836 m). The reported geographic 
and depth range of each species is provided in a systematic list. “Midwater, accidental” refers to a 
species that probably was caught in midwater instead of on the sea floor. Because of time con¬ 
straints and lack of expertise in identification, species of the Sergestidae are not included. Cata¬ 
logue numbers refer to the California Academy of Sciences, Department of Invertebrate Zoology 
and Geology (CASIZ). 
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