| Abstract |
We review the taxonomy of sponge-dwelling shrimp in the “Gambarelloides species group” within the genus Synalpheus
Bate 1888, an informal but widely recognized group that is largely endemic to the western Atlantic and contains the
majority of Synalpheus species in that region. The validity of most species described from the western Atlantic is reeval-
uated based on extensive new material from Carrie Bow Cay, Belize, and on examination of types of most described spe-
cies. Twenty-eight species, including all those historically considered as part of the Gambarelloides group, are herein
removed from Synalpheus and transferred to Zuzalpheus, n. gen., which is diagnosed by two synapomorphies: the dense
brush of curved setae on the minor first pereopod, and the mesial lamellae on the coxae of the 3rd pereopods. Six new
species are described (Zuzalpheus dardeaui, Z. elizabethae, Z. idios, Z. kensleyi, Z. ul, Z. yano) and Z. osburni (Schmitt
1933) n. comb. is removed from synonymy with Synalpheus goodei. An identification key to all 34 species of West
Atlantic Zuzalpheus is presented, as are known host associations, and color plates of most species. |
