Synalpheus townsendi Coutière, 1909

Paixão, Pedro Henrique, Terossi, Mariana, Pasinatto, Karmine, Bochini, Gabriel Lucas & Almeida, Alexandre Oliveira, 2025, Shrimps of the genus Synalpheus Spence Bate, 1888 (Decapoda: Alpheidae) from Northeast Brazil region, Zootaxa 5666 (1), pp. 1-52 : 35-36

Synalpheus townsendi Coutière, 1909

Material examined: Maranhão—Turiaçu: 1 F, Nordeste Expedition II, St. 111/112, MOUFPE 12510; Ceará— Camocim : 1 F, Almirante Saldanha Expedition, St. 1722, 29.x.1967, 02°13.5′S 40°43.5′W, 53.0 m depth, MOUFPE 8948 ; Pernambuco—Fernando de Noronha : 1 F, Buraco do Inferno, 26.vi.2022, 03°48.968′S 32°23.577′W, 12.0 m depth, in sponge, DZ / UFRGS 7034 ; 1 OV, Laje Dois Irmãos , 30.vi.2022, 03°51.859′S 32°27.934′W, 17.0 m depth, in sponge, DZ / UFRGS 7047 ; 1 F, Ilha do Meio , 18.vi.2019, 03°49.015′S 32°23.549′W, 12.0 m depth, in sponge, DZ / UFRGS 7072 ; 1 F, Ressureta , 19.vi.2019, 03°49.191′S 32°23.847′W, 8.0 m depth, in sponge, DZ / UFRGS 7071 ; Continental Shelf off Recife: 1 M, 07.ii.2018, 8°08′51.5′′S 34°34′08.0′′W, 65.0 m depth, in sponge, MOUFPE 21797 ; 1 OV, same data as MOUFPE 21797, MOUFPE 21798 ; 1 M, same data as MOUFPE 21797, MOUFPE 21799 ; 1 M, same data as MOUFPE 21797, MOUFPE 21800 ; 1 M, same data as MOUFPE 21797, MOUFPE 21801 ; 1 NI, same data as MOUFPE 21797, MOUFPE 21802 ; 1 M, same data as MOUFPE 21797, MOUFPE 21804 ; 1 M, same data as MOUFPE 21797, MOUFPE 21805 ; 1 M, same data as MOUFPE 21797, MOUFPE 21806 ; 1 M, same data as MOUFPE 21797, MOUFPE 21807 ; 1 OV, same data as MOUFPE 21797, MOUFPE 21809 ; 1 OV, 10.v.2018, 08°21′34.9′′S 34°41′53.3′′W, 50.8 m depth, in sponge, MOUFPE 21796 ; 1 F, same data as MOUFPE 21796, MOUFPE 21792 ; 1 OV, 27.ii.2018, 8°13′33.0′′S 34°37′40.3′′W, 50.6 m depth, in sponge, MOUFPE 21536 ; 1 M, 27.ii.2018, 8°13′52.1′′S 34°37′39.1′′W, 50.8 m depth, in sponge, MOUFPE 21543 ; 1 F, 27.ii.2018, 8°13′52.1′′S 34°37′41.2′′W, 51.8 m depth, in sponge, MOUFPE 21538 ; 1 M, same data as MOUFPE 21538, in sponge, MOUFPE 21539 ; 1 M, 1 F, same data as MOUFPE 21538, in sponge, MOUFPE 21535 ; 1 F, 27.ii.2018, 8°13′52.1′′S 34°37′42.7′′W, 50.0 m depth, in sponge, DZ / UFRGS 7060 ; 1 M, same data as DZ/ UFRGS 7060 , MOUFPE 21568 ; 1 OV, same data as DZ/ UFRGS 7060 , MOUFPE 21576 ; 1 F, 10.v.2018, 08°23′04.3′′S 34°40′07′′W, 80.0 m depth, in sponge, MOUFPE 21830 ; 1 M, 1 OV, same data as MOUFPE 21830, MOUFPE 21821 ; 1 NI, same data as MOUFPE 21830, MOUFPE 21820 ; 1 M, 1 OV, same data as MOUFPE 21830, MOUFPE 21847 ; 1 F, same data as MOUFPE 21830, MOUFPE 21831 ; 1 M, 1 OV, same data as MOUFPE 21830, MOUFPE 21848 ; 1 OV, same data as MOUFPE 21830, MOUFPE 21817 ; 1 M, 1 OV, same data as MOUFPE 21830, MOUFPE 21852 ; 1 OV, same data as MOUFPE 21830, MOUFPE 21822 ; 1 OV, same data as MOUFPE 21830, MOUFPE 21824 ; 1 OV, same data as MOUFPE 21830, MOUFPE 21856 ; 1 F, same data as MOUFPE 21830, MOUFPE 21836 ; 1 F, same data as MOUFPE 21830, MOUFPE 21844 ; 1 M, same data as MOUFPE 21830, MOUFPE 21837 ; 1 M, 1 F, 1 NI, same data as MOUFPE 21830, MOUFPE 21833 ; 1 M, same data as MOUFPE 21830, MOUFPE 21851 ; 1 M, same data as MOUFPE 21830, MOUFPE 21853 ; 1 M, same data as MOUFPE 21830, MOUFPE 21854 ; 2 M, same data as MOUFPE 21830, MOUFPE 21834 ; 2 M, same data as MOUFPE 21830, MOUFPE 21849 ; 1 M, same data as MOUFPE 21830, in sediment, MOUFPE 21787 ; 1 F, 07.ii.2018, 8°08′43.7′′S 34°34′22.6′′W, 54.0 m depth, in coral rubble, MOUFPE 21569 ; 1 F, 27.ii.2018, 8°13′33.0′′S 34°37′40.3′′W, 50.6 m depth, MOUFPE 21562 ; 1 F, 27.ii.2018, 8°13′25.4′′S 34°37′43.2′′W, 51.0 m depth, MOUFPE 21573 ; 1 M, 27.ii.2018, 8°13′52.1′′S 34°37′39.1′′W, 50.8 m depth, MOUFPE 21574 ; 1 F, 27.ii.2018, 8°13′52.1′′S 34°37′41.2′′W, 51.8 m depth, MOUFPE 21551 ; 1 M, same data as MOUFPE 21551, MOUFPE 21552 ; 1 F, same data as MOUFPE 21551, MOUFPE 21553 ; 1 F, same data as MOUFPE 21551, MOUFPE 21554 ; 1 F, same data as MOUFPE 21551, MOUFPE 21556 ; 1 M, same data as MOUFPE 21551, MOUFPE 21557 ; 1 M, same data as MOUFPE 21551, MOUFPE 21558 ; 1 M, same data as MOUFPE 21551, MOUFPE 21561 ; 1 F, same data as MOUFPE 21551, MOUFPE 21565 ; 1 M, same data as MOUFPE 21551, MOUFPE 21570 ; 1 M, same data as MOUFPE 21551, MOUFPE 21571 ; 1 M, same data as MOUFPE 21551, MOUFPE 21572 ; 1 M, same data as MOUFPE 21551, MOUFPE 21575 ; Recife : 1 M, 08°09′7′′S 34°45′0′′W, 31.5 m depth, MOUFPE 15392 ; 1 M, same data as MOUFPE 15392, MOUFPE 15389 ;

Bahia—Abrolhos : 2 M, Ilha de Santa Bárbara, 31.viii.2013, in dead coral, MOUFPE 21866 ; 1 M, 1 OV, Ilha de Santa Bárbara , 31.viii.2013, in sponge, MOUFPE 21867 .

Description: Coutière (1909), Williams (1984), and Anker et al. (2012).

Distribution: Bermuda, USA (from North Carolina to Florida), Gulf of Mexico, Honduras, Panama, Jamaica, Curaçao, and Barbados to Brazil (Rocas Atoll, Fernando de Noronha, Trindade & Martin Vaz Archipelago, Maranhão, and from Ceará to São Paulo) ( Hermoso-Salazar et al. 2005; Anker et al. 2012, 2016; Soledade et al. 2015; Almeida et al. 2018b; this study).

Ecology: Reef areas with abundance of sponges, Phragmatopoma sp. , reef cavities, or dead corals (e.g. Oculina sp. , Porites sp. , Siderastrea sp. , Mussismilia sp. ); calcareous algae and ascidians, in mangroves, worm-perforated wood, and sponges; in heterosexual pairs; shallow waters to 102 m ( Rouse 1970; Gore et al. 1978; Rodríguez 1980; Reed et al. 1982; Duffy 1992; Anker et al. 2012; 2016). Sampled herein in sediment, coral rubble, dead coral and sponges.

Remarks: Synalpheus townsendi is a common and widely distributed species throughout the western Atlantic, with numerous records along the Brazilian coast ( Anker et al. 2012). One specimen collected from the continental shelf off Recife carried a rhizocephalan pleonal parasite (MOUFPE 21821). The material from Parque Estadual Marinho da Pedra da Risca do Meio, Fortaleza, previously reported by Bezerra & Coelho (2006), has been reidentified as S. brooksi (see S. brooksi section).