A protozoea of solenoceridae (Crustacea: Decapoda: Dendrobranchiata) from the Canary Islands

              Rev. Acad. Canar. Cienc, XIII (Num. 4), 181-185 (2001) (publicado en Julio de 2002)
A PROTOZOEA OF SOLENOCERIDAE
(CRUSTACEA: DECAPODA: DENDROBRANCHIATA)
FROM THE CANARY ISLANDS.
J.A. Lindley1
, F. Hernandez2
, E. Tejera2 & S. Jimenez2
Sir Alister Hardy Foundation for Ocean Science. The Laboratory. Citadel Hill. Plymouth (United Kingdom).
Departamento de Biologia Marina. Museo de Ciencias Naturales de Tenerife (OAM). Apartado correos 853;
38003 Santa Cruz de Tenerife (Canarias).
ABSTRACT
A protozoea II with morphological characteristics similar to those of Solenocera
membranacea, but differing in some details from the published descriptions, was found in a
plankton sample taken at 28° 17'N and 15° 23 'W during a cruise supported by Las Palmas
University (CICYT, MAR- 1997- 103 6, Mesopelagic Project). The only species of the family
Solenoceridae known from the Canary Islands are Hymenopenaeus chacei and
Hymenopenaeus debilis. The Moroccan coast is the southern limit of the distribution of
Solenocera membranacea and the northern limit of its sibling species Solenocera africana.
The specimen, mentioned here, is either the first description of a larval stage of
Hymenopenaeus or the first record of Solenocera from the Canary Islands, in which case it
adds to known morphological variability in this developmental stage.
Key words: Canary Islands, plankton, decapoda, Solenoceridae, protozoea II.
RESUMEN
Una larva de decapodo en estado protozoea II, con caracteristicas morfologicas simi-lares
a las de Solenocera membranacea aunque con algunos detalles diferentes a los de las
descripciones publicadas, fue hallada en una muestra planctonica tomada a 28° 17'N y 1
5°
23'W durante una campana financiada por la Universidad de Las Palmas de Gran Canaria
(CICYT, MAR- 1997- 1036, proyecto Mesopelagic). Las unicas especies conocidas de la
familia Solenoceridae para las Islas Canarias son Hymenopenaeus chacei e Hymenopenaeus
debilis. La zona costera marroqui es el limite sur de distribucion de Solenocera membrana-cea
y el norte de Solenocera africana. El ejemplar, que aqui se menciona, es por tanto la pri-mera
descripcion de un estado larvario de Hymenopenaeus o la primera cita del genero
Solenocera para las Islas Canarias. En ambos casos, se aportan datos nuevos a la variabili-dad
morfologica en el desarrollo larvario de la familia.
Palabras clave: Islas Canarias, plancton, decapodos, Solenoceridae, protozoea II.
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1. INTRODUCTION
Some results of analysis of the Decapoda from the pelagic collections of the Museo
de Ciencias Naturales de Santa Cruz de Tenerife have been described by lindley & Her-nandez
([6], [7], [8]); lindley, Hernandez & tejera [9] and lindley et al. ([10], [11]). Here
we record a previously undescribed penaeid protozoea from a sample of pelagic fauna near
nord of Gran Canaria island. The specimen has stalked eyes but without uropds or develo-ped
segmentation of the abdomen, indicating that it was a protozoea II. It has many charac-teristics
similar to those of the protozoea II of Solenocera membranacea (Risso, 1817) des-cribed
by heldt [4] and kurian [5] but differed in some characteristics.
Solenocera membranacea is known from the north-east Atlantic as far south as Morocco and
from the Mediterranean, records from further south on the African coast should probably be
refered to Solenocera africana Stebbing, 1917 (crosnier & forest, [1]). The latter is
known from the coast of Morocco as far north as 31°58'N southwards to the Cape of Good
Hope but neither species of the genus has been recorded from the Canary Islands. The only
species of the family Solenoceridae Wood Mason, 1891 recorded from the Canary Islands
are Hymenopenaeus chacei Crosnier & Forest, 1969 and Hymenopenaeus debilis S.I. Smith,
1882 (GONZALEZ PEREZ, [2]).
The development of Hymenopenaeus spp. has not been described.
2.-MATERIAL AND METHODS
The plankton was sampled in a vertical haul from 1 00 meters to surface in the sam-pling
station (code 19A99D) using a WP2 plankton-net. The sample was taken on 19/05/99
at 8.00 hours in the north of Gran Canaria island during the "Caluma" cruise -supported by
Las Palmas University (CICYT, MAR- 1997- 1036, Mesopelagic Project)-. Samples were
sorted and preliminary identifications were undertaken using at the Museo de Ciencias
Naturales and the specimen was further examined at the laboratory of the Sir Alister Hardy
Foundation for Ocean Science at Plymouth (SAHFOS). This specimen has the code number
TFMCBMZP/00840 and TFMCBMDL/00336 in the database Museum collections.
2.1-Description and comparison with Solenocera membranacea
The specimen is seen in dorsal view in Figure 1. Some characteristics are listed
below together with those of the protozoea II of Solenocera membranacea as described by
heldt [4] and kurian [5].
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Character Present specimen Heldt (1955) Kurian (1956)
Total length 2.27mm 2.06-2.3mm 1.68-1.96mm
Carapace 0.85mm margin serrate 0.77-0.88mm margin serrate Circa 0.8mm margin serrate
Rostrum 0.43mm denticulate 0.4-0.5mm denticulate 0.31mm
Supra-orbital spines smooth Denticulate denticulate
Median dorsal
carapace spines
None 2, (Epigastric rostral tooth
and epicardiac spine)
None
Paired carapace spines 1 pair 7 pairs 1 pair
Antennule Setae 1,1,3,5 1,1,3,7 ?
Antenna 2,2,2,5 2,2,2,4 ?
Labrum With acute spine With acute spine
Maxilliped 1 Exopod 5,
endopod.2,2,2,5
Exopod 6,
endopod.2,2,2,5
?
Maxilliped 2 Exopod 5,
endopod, 11
Exopod 7,
endopod, 15
Exopod 6,
endopod, 13
The appearance of the specimen and particularly the ornamentation of the carapace
margin indicate a close relationship with Solenocera. However, the description of the pro-tozoea
II of Solenocera membranacea by heldt [4] shows many more carapace spines than
the present specimen, whereas the kurian [5] shows a similar number. Both these authors
show denticulations on the supra-orbital spines which are not evident in the present speci-men.
In addition both heldt [4] and kurian [5] show a pair of elongate acute lappets and a
median lobe on the posterior margin of the carapace whereas the present specimen has pai-red
rounded lobes, with no obvious median lobe. The eyestalks are only slightly longer than
the supra-orbital spines in the present specimen and Kurian's figure but are much longer in
Heldt's illustration.
The known larval stages of Solenocera africanus described (as Solenocera membra-nacea
capensis) by heegaard [3] do not include the protozoea II but are very similar to
those of Solenocera membranacea .
The specimen may be the protozoea of Solenocera membranacea or Solenocera afri-canus,
in which case it is the first record of the genus from the Canary Islands and illus-trates
an addition to the known range of morphology for this developmental stage.
Alternatively it may be Hymenopenaeus sp. and as Hymenopenaeus chacei is rare in the seas
around the Canary Islands whereas Hymenopenaeus debilis is frequent (Gonzalez perez,
[2]), it is more likely to be the larva of the latter.
3. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Special mention to the Mesopelagic Project (CICYT MAR 1997- 1036) and to Dr. Santiago
Hernandez Leon -Head of Biology Oceanography Laboratory (Las Palmas University)- for
send us the samples for taxonomic studies.
4. REFERENCES
1] crosmer, a. & j. forest, 1973. Les crevettes profondes de I Atlantique oriental tropical.
Faune Tropicale. ORSTOM, Paris, 19: 1-409.
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[2] Gonzalez perez, J. a., 1995. Crustdceos Decdpodos de las Mas Canarias. Publicaciones
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[3] heegaard, p., 1966. Larvae of decapod Crustacea. The oceanic penaeids Solenocera-
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[4] heldt, J. H., 1955. Contribution a 1' etude de la biologie des crevettes Peneides. Formes
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29-56.
[5] kurian, c.v., 1956. Larvae of decapod Crustacea from the Adriatic Sea. Acta Adriatica,
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[6] lindley, J. A. & f. Hernandez, 1999a. The occurrence in waters around the Canary and
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[8] lindley, J. a. & f. Hernandez, 2000. A previously undescribed zoea attributed to
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[9] lindley, J. a., f. Hernandez & e. tejera. 2000. Planktonic larvae as indicators of addi-tional
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Canary Islands. Rev. Acad. Canar. Ciencias., XII (3-4):47-50.
[10] LINDLEY, J. A., F. HERNANDEZ, E. TEJERA, S. JIMENEZ, A. MARTIN, R. MARTIN & E. ARBELO,
2000. Presencia en el plancton de Canarias de Philocheras bispinosus neglectus
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[11] lindley, j.a., F. Hernandez, E. tejera & s. jimenez (in press). An unusual pinnotherid
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from the Selvage Islands (Eastern Atlantic Ocean). Bocagiana.
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Figure 1. Dorsal view of Solenocerid protozoea II taken in sample 19A99D (Calumet)
185