Solenocera vioscai Burkenroad 1934

Solenocera vioscai Burkenroad

Solenocera vioscai Burkenroad, 1934 (part): 65, figs. 1–4 [holotype: ♀, AMNH 6698; type-locality: about 5 miles (8 km) off Pass a L’outre, Louisiana, “15 fathoms” (27 m)].—Burkenroad, 1939:13, figs. 12–15.—Lindner and Anderson, 1941:186.—Hildebrand, 1954:270.—Voss, 1955:9, fig. 3.—Springer and Bullis, 1956:8.—Roberts and Pequegnat, 1970:27.—Pequegnat and Roberts, 1971 (part): 8—Brusher, Renfro, and Neal, 1972:75—Franks, Christmas, Siler, Combs, Waller, and Burns, 1972:54. [Not Solenocera vioscai Burkenroad, 1936:122.]

MATERIAL.—UNITED STATES. North Carolina: 1 ♀, USNM, off Cape Lookout, 174–183 m, 13 March 1961, Silver Bay sta 2931.

Florida: 1 ♂, USNM, off Flagler Beach, 51 m, 12 January 1965, Oregon sta 5167. 1 ♂ 6 ♀, USNM, off Cocoa Beach, 146 m, 2 February 1961, Silver Bay sta 2732. 1 ♀, USNM, S of Dry Tortugas, 110 m, 30 October 1960, Silver Bay sta 2429. 1 ♀, USNM, S of Dry Tortugas, 110 m, 30 October 1960, Silver Bay sta 2429. 1 ♀, USNM, S of Fort Walton, 219 m, 15 June 1964, Oregon sta 4945. 2 ♀, USNM, S of Santa Rosa I, 128 m, 1 March 1955, Oregon sta 1253.

Alabama: 20 ♂, YPM, off Mobile Bay, 128 m, 21 March 1937, Atlantis sta 2814. 1 ♂ 5 ♀, USNM, off Mobile Bay, 183 m, 12 December 1963, Oregon sta 4583.

Louisiana: 10 ♂ 60 ♀, USNM, E of Mississippi Delta, 229 m, 26 June 1948, Oregon sta 2203. 1 ♀, USNM, E of Mississippi Delta, 46 m, 12 January 1970, Oregon II sta 10864. 1 ♂ 1 ♀, USNM, E of Mississippi Delta, 68 m, 23 August 1950, Oregon sta 88. 1 ♂ 1 ♀, YPM, E North Pass, 64 m, 9 April 1937, Atlantis sta 2853–3. 7 ♂ 2 ♀, YPM, off Pass a L’outre, 82–88 m, 10 April 1937, Atlantis sta 2853–13. 1 ♀, YPM, off Pass a L’outre, 138 m, 10 April 1937, Atlantis sta 2853–14. 5 ♂ 7 ♀, USNM, NE of Pass a L’outre, 51 m, 22 October 1953, Oregon sta 843. 3 ♀, USNM, off Blind Bay, 75 in, 8 August 1950, Oregon sta 72. 1 ♀, USNM, off Blind Bay, 73 m, 3 February 1938, Pelican sta. 7. ♀, holotype, AMNH 6698, about 8 km off Pass a L’outre, “15 fm” [27 m], March 1931, M. D. Burkenroad. 1 ♀, paratype, YPM 4389, off Pass a L’outre, “15 fm” [20 fm=37 m], March 1931, M. D. Burkenroad. 6 ♀, USNM, 24 km E of Pass a L’outre, 73 m, May 1956, H. R. Bullis. 2 ♂ 8 ♀, YPM, E of Pass a L’outre, 79 m, 10 April 1937, Atlantis sta 2853–7. 6 ♀, UMML, off Southeast Pass, 91 m, 9 November 1952, Oregon sta 687. 2 ♂ 1 ♀, YPM, off Southeast Pass, 80 m, 10 April 1937, Atlantis sta 2853–6. 3 ♂ 8 ♀, YPM, E of South Pass, 80–110 m, 9 April 1937, Atlantis sta 2853–5. 1 ♂ 1 ♀, YPM, E of South Pass, 110–128 m, 10 April 1937, Atlantis sta 2853–11. 1 ♂ 1 ♀, YPM, E of South Pass, 55 m, 10 April 1937, Atlantis sta 2853–12. 1 ♂, USNM, S of Mississippi Delta, 155 m, 21 May 1959, Oregon sta 2509. 9 ♀, USNM, off Southwest Pass, 79 m, 7 May 1951, Oregon sta 340. 1 ♀, USNM, off Southwest Pass, 79 m, 7 May 1951, Oregon sta 342. 1 ♀, USNM, off Southwest Pass, 97 m, 24 October 1953, Oregon sta 847. 3 ♀, USNM, off Shell I, 68 m, 13 September 1950, Oregon sta 107. 4 ♀, USNM, S of Grand Terre Is, 183 m, 23 September 1955, Oregon sta 1421. 5 ♀, USNM, S of Timbalier I, 73–70 m, 20 February 1964, Oregon sta 4694. 1 ♂ 1 ♀, YPM, S of Isles Dernieres, 51 m, 25 March 1937, Atlantis sta 2838. 22 ♂ 14 ♀, YPM, S of Caillou Bay, 55 m, 25 March 1937, Atlantis sta 2840. 2 ♀, USNM, off Marsh I, 183 m, 6 March 1964, Oregon sta 4750. 1 ♀, USNM, off Marsh I, 77–80 m, 13 September 1962, Oregon sta 3782. 1 ♀, USNM, S of Cameron, 91 m, 17 January 1964, Oregon sta 4603.

Texas: 2 ♀, USNM, S of Port Aransas, 55 m, 21 May 1961, H. Compton. 1 ♀, USNM, off Padre I, 78 m, 30 January 1939, Pelican sta 112–3. 1 ♀, NMFS–GBL, off Texas coast, May 1965, NMFS–GBL staff. 1 ♂, NMFS–GBL, SE of Colorado River, 110 m, 20 December 1961, Belle of Texas.

MEXICO. Tamaulipas: 2 ♀, USNM, S of Matamoros, 46 m, 25 September 1962, Oregon sta 3932. 1 ♀, USNM, NE of Barra Soto La Marina, 73 m, 13 October 1952, Oregon sta 662. 1 ♀, USNM, off Tampico, 10 June 1959, E. Ramírez and F. Aguilar.

Tabasco: 1 ♂ 7 ♀, USNM, off Laguna Machona, 64 m, 16 May 1954, Oregon sta 1060. 1 ♂ 8 ♀, USNM, NW of Punta Frontera, 65 m, 8 June 1970, Oregon II sta 10981. 3 ♀, USNM, NW of Punta Frontera, 66 m, 9 June 1970, Oregon II sta 10982. 1 ♂ 4 ♀, USNM, off Paraíso, 71 m, 7 June 1970, Oregon II sta 10975.

DIAGNOSIS.—Rostral + epigastric teeth 8–11, usually 9. Anterior part of carapace naked; postrostral carina almost reaching posterior margin of carapace, high and notched at level of cervical sulcus. Stylocerite short, length 0.55–0.65 of distance between its proximal end and base of distolateral spine, and produced into short spine. Petasma with ventrolateral lobule distally produced into subelliptical lamella, considerably overreaching dorsomedian lobule. Thelycum with high median ridge on sternite XIII; paired protuberances on sternite XIV convergent, occasionally with distomesial margins subparallel.

DESCRIPTION.—Carapace glabrous except for elongate patch of setae covering portion of rostrum immediately dorsal to adrostral carina, and continuing posteriorly to epigastric tooth. Rostrum reaching as far as distal end of first antennular segment, horizontal or slightly tilted upward, uniform in height along short basal portion, from there tapering to apex, with dorsal margin straight, and ventral margin straight or slightly convex. Rostral + epigastric teeth 8–11, mode 9 (percentage distribution: 8—4, 9—65, 10—30, 11—1; N=200), teeth progressively smaller and closer from epigastric to ultimate, latter placed near apex; fourth tooth at level of orbital margin, epigastric located at about posterior 0.3 of distance from orbital margin to dorsal extremity of cervical sulcus. Adrostral carina extending obliquely from orbital margin to level of ultimate or penultimate tooth; postrostral carina high, long, extending almost to posterior margin of carapace, deeply notched at level of cervical sulcus. Orbital spine short, acute; postorbital spine long; antennal spine relatively small; hepatic spine prominent; pterygostomian spine broad at base, not conspicuously produced, often slightly inclined ventrally. Cervical sulcus deep, broad, and sinuous, anteriorly convex dorsally, and concave ventrally; cervical carina sharp; hepatic sulcus almost horizontal posteriorly, merging with depressed area below hepatic spine, from there turning anteroventrally, and ending at semicircular, pterygostomian pit; latter continuing with narrow anterior sulcus, parallel to anteroventral margin of carapace.

Antennular peduncle about 0.6 length of carapace; prosartema extending to distal margin of first segment; stylocerite (Figure 1B) relatively short, its length 0.55–0.65 of distance between its proximal end and base of distolateral spine, and produced into relatively short spine; antennular flagella abruptly tapering distally, each bearing terminal filament; that of dorsal about 2.5 times length of ventral (Figure 1Aa, b); flagella (Figure 2) long, dorsal slightly longer than ventral; ratio of length of dorsal flagellum (excluding filament) to length of carapace decreasing from range of 3 to 2.8 in shrimp with 12 mm c.l., to 1.7 in shrimp with 31 mm c.l.; distolateral spine short, reaching or barely surpassing distal margin of first segment.

Scaphocerite usually reaching distal end of antennular peduncle, occasionally exceeding it by as much as 0.1 of its own length; lateral rib ending distally in acute spine, falling short of distal margin of lamella; antennal flagella long—although incomplete in all specimens observed—in one with longest, 2.5 times total length of shrimp.

Third maxilliped exceeding antennular peduncle by length of dactyl and 0.5–0.8 that of propodus; first pereopod surpassing carpocerite by as much as 0.6 length of propodus; second pereopod exceeding antennular peduncle by about length of dactyl; third pereopod overreaching antennular peduncle by length of propodus and as much as 0.5 that of carpus; fourth pereopod extending to distal end of antennular peduncle or exceeding it by as much as 0.5 length of dactyl; fifth pereopod surpassing antennular peduncle by length of dactyl and about 0.7 that of propodus. Spines on basis and ischium of first pereopod long, strongly pointed; second pereopod with long pointed spine on basis. Coxa of fourth pereopod of females produced into short plate directed posteromesially, its excavated posterior margin articulating with notch, located anterior to lateral projection of heavily sclerotized posterior part of sternite XIII; coxa of fifth pereopod bearing blunt spine on anteromesial margin in females, (sometimes barely perceptible or absent), and on anterolateral margin in males.

Abdomen with sharp and high middorsal carina from third to sixth somite; low, rounded carina on posterior half of second somite sometimes present in large specimens; posterodorsal margin of third to fifth somites with median incision; sixth somite bearing sharp spine at posterior end of carina, and pair of posteroventral small spines. Telson with median sulcus deep anteriorly, increasingly shallower posteriorly; fixed lateral spines arising about 0.65 length of telson from anterior margin, their length 0.45–0.65 basal width of terminal portion of telson; length of terminal portion 3–3.5 times width at base; tip reaching or almost reaching mesial ramus of uropod, lateral ramus slightly overreaching mesial.

Petasma, appendix masculina, and appendix interna similar to those of Solenocera acuminata described below.

Thelycum (Figure 3A, B) with paired protuberances on anterior part of sternite XIV setose, short to elongate, subconical or distally flattened, convergent, and inclined posteromesially; in larger females protuberances sometimes meeting, and occasionally with their distomesial margins extending parallel and contiguous; anterior part of sternite XIII with sharp, high, and setose median ridge produced into beaklike projection overhanging, and closely appressed to, posterior margin of sternite XII; posterior extremity of sternite XIII with conspicuous median emargination, and produced anterolaterally into hornlike projections.

COLOR.—“In general pale orange interspersed with many translucent areas; the pigment is particularly concentrated on rostrum and antennules, and as bands across the posterior parts of the pleonic terga. There are patches of opaque white on the outer sides of the legs and pleopods, on the uropods, and at the posterior margins of the fourth and fifth pleonic segments” (Burkenroad, 1939).

SIZE.—Males 5–23.5 mm c.l.; females 8–31 mm c.l.

GEOGRAPHIC AND BATHYMETRIC RANGES.—Southeast of Cape Lookout, North Carolina, southward and into the Gulf of Mexico to the Dry Tortugas Islands (Figure 18). Apparently, it is absent along the west coast of Florida to Fort Walton, where it appears again, ranging along the northern and western waters of the Gulf of Mexico, at least to Tabasco. This species seems to be rare off the southeastern coast of the United States, the three records presented here being the first reported from the area.

Solenocera vioscai has been found at depths of about 35 to 240 m. Burkenroad (1939) reported that in the waters off Alabama and Louisiana this species was present at depths ranging from 37 to 188 m, and was most abundant between 37 to 73 m. In the northern Gulf of Mexico, Hildebrand (1954) found S. vioscai to be most common between 57 and 68 m. Along the northwestern Gulf, Brusher et al. (1972) did not catch it at depths of 14 and 27 m, the two shallower stations they investigated, but found it to be abundant at 46 and 64 m, and sparingly present at 82 and 110 m. Franks et al. (1972) reported that in their investigation of the 9–90 m depth zone off the Mississippi coast, this shrimp was taken only at 90 m. The samples we have examined, from North Carolina to Tabasco, were obtained at depths of 37 to 239 m, most within the range of 50 to 80 m.

SUBSTRATES.—Mud (Oregon stas 72, 88, 107, 687, 843, and 2203); blue-black mud (Oregon sta 662); blue mud (Oregon sta 847); gray mud (Oregon sta 1060); gray-green mud (Oregon sta 1253); mud and sand (Pelican sta 112–3); and shells (Silver Bay sta 2429).