Thursday, October 25, 2018

[Crustacea • 2018] Alvinocaris costaricensis • A New Species of Alvinocaris (Decapoda: Caridea: Alvinocarididae) from Costa Rican Methane Seeps


 Alvinocaris costaricensis
Martin, Shank, Cha, Seid, Rouse & Wall, 2018


Abstract
A new caridean shrimp, Alvinocaris costaricensis, is described from methane seeps in the eastern Pacific off Costa Rica. The new species is the 16th described species of the genus, and by molecular analysis appears closest to Alvinocaris komaii from the Lau Basin, southwestern Pacific, but shares certain morphological characters with A. lusca from the Galapagos Rift and A. muricola from the West Florida Escarpment, as well as with A. kexueae from the Manus Basin in the Southwest Pacific.

Keywords: Crustacea, Caridea, Alvinocaris, methane seeps, Costa Rica


 Alvinocaris costaricensis new species, holotype female, SIO-BIC C12202, Eastern Pacific Ocean, Costa Rica, live color photograph.  

Alvinocaris costaricensis, new species

Etymology. The specific epithet reflects the location of the methane seeps off the Pacific coast of Costa Rica


 Joel W. Martin, T. M. Shank, H. Cha, Charlotte Seid, Greg W. Rouse and Adam Wall. 2018. A New Species of Alvinocaris (Crustacea: Decapoda: Caridea: Alvinocarididae) from Costa Rican Methane Seeps. Zootaxa. 4504(3); 418–430. DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4504.3.7