Alpheus villosus (Olivier 1811)

Alpheus villosus (Olivier, 1811)

Palaemon diversimanus Olivier, 1811:663 [type locality: Australia].

Palaemon villosus Olivier, 1811:664 [type locality: “la mer des Indes”; D.M. and A.H. Banner (1982:52) noted that the holotype bore “the label in the vial of ‘Port du Roi Georges,’ presumably King George Sound at Albany, W.A.”].

Alpheus villosus.—D.M. and A.H. Banner, 1982:49, fig. 10.

DIAGNOSIS.—(Sulcatus Group). Body not unusually compressed but covered with short stiff setae together with a few long setae; rostrum triangular, reaching as far as distal margin of 1st antennular segment, sharply carinate in midline, carina extending posteriorly to midlength of carapace, base of rostrum not abruptly delimited from adrostral furrows; carapace with acute median tooth on gastric region, without paired teeth overhanging posterior ends of adrostral furrows, anterior margin between rostrum and orbital hood armed with triangular tooth, orbital hood bearing acute tooth overhanging margin; 2nd antennular segment about twice as long as wide; basal antennal segment (basicerite) armed with strong ventrolateral tooth far overreaching stylocerite; antennal scale with lateral margin concave, distolateral spine distinctly overreaching distal margin of narrow blade; 1st pereopods with merus armed with small acute distal tooth on inferior flexor margin; major chela compressed, nearly 2 times as long as wide, dactyl bent, distally truncate, not double-ended but overhanging end of fixed finger, palm with acute tooth either side of dactylar articulation, without longitudinal carina near margin proximal to fixed finger, without distinct transverse “saddle” proximal to adhesive plaque but with longitudinal groove over entire length of margin proximal to plaque, obscure shoulder on margin proximal to fixed finger; minor chela about 2 times as long as wide, dactyl not very slender, nearly equal to palm in length, not “balaeniceps” in either sex, palm granulate and setose on mesial surface; 2nd pereopod with proximal carpal article twice as long as 2nd; 3rd pereopod with dactyl biunguiculate, propodus armed with 14 spines on flexor margin, carpus with sharp distal tooth on flexor margin, merus armed with strong distal tooth on flexor margin, ischium bearing movable spine; maximum carapace length to base of rostrum about 22 mm.

RANGE.—Mascarene Islands, Sulu Archipelago, and Australia; intertidal to 44 meters, in coral. Although Kensley (1972:54, fig. 25p,q) included A. villosus in his illustrated key to the shrimps and prawns of southern Africa, it was not incorporated in the checklist published later (Kensley, 1981:17–50), and that author has informed me that he has not seen material of the species from the African continent.

Aretopsis De Man, 1910

Aretopsis De Man, 1910:310 [type species, by monotypy: Aretopsis amabilis De Man, 1910:311; gender feminine].

DIAGNOSIS.—Body not unusually compressed; rostrum distinct, blunt apically in lateral aspect; carapace without high carina throughout length of dorsal midline; abdomen with triangular flap articulated at posterolateral angle of 6th somite; telson not terminating posteriorly in triangular tooth; cornea of eye usually largely exposed in dorsal aspect; mandible typically with incisor process but without palp; 3rd maxilliped not unusually broadened to form partial operculum over other mouthparts; 1st pereopods with major chela lacking socket on fixed finger to receive plunger on movable finger; 2nd pereopod with carpus composed of 5 articles; pereopods typically with strap-like epipods on 2 or 3 anterior pairs.

RANGE.—Red Sea to Okinawa, Philippines, Indonesia, Australia, and Marshall Islands.