Alamprops quadriplicatus

Alamprops quadriplicatus (Smith, 1879) n. comb.

Lamprops quadriplicatus Smith, 1879: 118–120.

Type material. Syntypes: in part, in USNM: 10499, ovigerous female; 34874, subadult female; 34884, 2 subadult females; 34885, subadult male; 36639, subadult male; 44132, preparatory female; 44133, preparatory male. Gloucester Harbor, Grand Banks, Cape Cod Bay, Casco Bay.

Diagnosis. Carapace with 4 lateral ridges; eyelobe not extending to anterior border of pseudorostrum. Telson with 2 pairs of lateral setae, 5 terminal setae, central seta and outermost pair subequal. Uropod peduncle with 7 medial setae; uropod exopod article 1 0.9 length of article 2. Male with long antennal flagellum.

Depth. 4–104 m.

Distribution. Western boreal Atlantic.

Remarks. This species has been problematic. The original description by Smith is from the western North Atlantic, but several subspecies have been ascribed to this species from the North Pacific, specifically krasheninnikovi from the boreal North Pacific, longispina from Peter the Great Bay and Hokkaido, Japan, as well as quadriplicatus from the Pacific coast of Canada (Derzhavin 1926; Hart 1930; Zimmer 1943). Given the limited dispersal capabilities of cumaceans, and the genetic differentiation that has been described between very close populations in South Africa (Teske 2006), it is unlikely that all of these records represent a single species. As the subspecies are morphologically distinguishable from quadriplicatus, they were returned (krasheninnikovi) or elevated (longispinus) to the rank of species. Based on color differences, Zimmer (1980) suggested that Hart’s “ L. quadriplicatus ” is unlikely to be the same species found on the western North Atlantic coasts of Canada and the United States. It is possible that Hart’s quadriplicatus is what was described as A. augustinensis (Gerken, 2005).