Four new species of snapping shrimp confirmed in Chiba Prefecture

A research group, including Research Director Tomoyuki Komai of the Natural History Museum and Institute, Chiba, Researcher Charles Fransen of the Naturalis Biodiversity Center in the Netherlands, Dr. Retori Hiraoka of the Marine Biological Research Institute of Japan, and former Director Keiichi Nomura of the Kushimoto Marine Park Center, has conducted a detailed examination of Alpheus lobidens, a species that had often been identified as the snapping shrimp known in Japan as "Iso-teppou-ebi." The group revealed that it is in fact an entirely distinct species, proposed a new Japanese name for it, "Maboroshi-teppou-ebi," and at the same time described four new species native to Japan.

The presence of all four new species has been confirmed in Chiba Prefecture. The findings were published in Zootaxa. (Top left) Alpheus nigrofasciatus, paratype, Kushima, Miyazaki Prefecture, CBM-ZC 14763(Top right) Alpheus yoshigoui, holotype, Kushimoto, Wakayama Prefecture, CBM-ZC 18101(Bottom left) Alpheus latifasciatus, holotype, Ichikawa, Chiba Prefecture, CBM-ZC 18113(Bottom right) Alpheus aestuaricola, paratype, Tanegashima Island, Kagoshima Prefecture, CBM-ZC 15438Provided by the Natural History Museum and Institute, Chiba The genus Alpheus comprises marine animals known for producing a popping sound and a shock wave by snapping their claws shut at high speed and is widely distributed from tropical to temperate waters.

Within this genus, Alpheus lobidens and Alpheus crassimanus have long been regarded as identical (conspecific), making this a group notorious for being exceptionally difficult to classify. The research group examined in detail the holotype of A. lobidens (held at the Naturalis Biodiversity Center), the species that had often been identified as "Isso-teppou-ebi," and clarified its specific identity.

The results revealed that it did not match any of the snapping shrimp previously referred to A. lobidens or the A. lobidens complex in literature, establishing it as an entirely separate species.

Consequently, the team proposed the new Japanese name "Maboroshi-teppou-ebi." Furthermore, the team re-established and redefined A. crassimanus as an independent species, which had long been treated as a synonym (a different name for the same species) of A.

lobidens. In addition, on the basis of the literature, the team examined A. lobidens polynesicus (distributed in Polynesian waters), which had been described as a subspecies of A.

lobidens, and redefined it as an independent species (A. polynesicus). Having thus established the true identities of these previously known species, the team described as new species four Japanese shrimps that had hitherto been misidentified as polynesicus: Alpheus yoshigoui sp.

nov. (Japanese name: Isso-teppou-ebi), Alpheus nigrofasciatus sp. nov.

(Hoshi-iso-teppou-ebi), Alpheus latifasciatus sp. nov. (Futoobi-iso-teppou-ebi), and Alpheus aestuaricola sp.

nov. (Kawa-teppou-ebi). This study resolves a taxonomic confusion among snapping shrimp that has persisted for many years, providing a vital foundation for a more accurate understanding of marine biodiversity.

In particular, demonstrating that species diversity in the waters around Japan is higher than previously recognized holds significant meaning for the understanding and conservation of marine ecosystems. The achievement also showcases the effectiveness of combining DNA analysis with morphological comparisons, including the coloration of the animals while alive. Journal Information Publication: Zootaxa Title: Clarification of the identity of the snapping shrimp Alpheus lobidens De Haan, 1849, revalidation of A.

crassimanus Heller, 1862, and descriptions of four new species from Japan previously confused with A. lobidens (Decapoda: Caridea: Alpheidae) DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.

5772.1.1 Biology This article has been translated by JST with permission from The Science News Ltd.

(https://sci-news.co.jp/).

Unauthorized reproduction of the article and photographs is prohibited. This article has been translated by JST with permission from The Science News Ltd. (https://sci-news.

co.jp/). Unauthorized reproduction of the article and photographs is prohibited.