Richalpheus palmeri Anker & Jeng 2006

Richalpheus palmeri Anker & Jeng, 2006

(Fig. 15)

Richalpheus palmeri Anker & Jeng 2006: 381, figs. 1–6; Anker 2011b: 66, figs. 5, 6. Not Richalpheus palmeri— Anker 2010: 34, figs. 7, 8 (= R. alpheoides Anker, 2011).

Material examined. Indonesia. 2 females (MZB Cru 4050), western Lombok, Teluk Medana, seagrass flat with sand, mud, some rubble-gravel, burrow, suction pump, 0.2–0.7 m, 12 May 2014 [LB-St3-14, LB-St3-23]; 1 male (OUMNH.ZC. 2014-10-17), same collection data [LB-St3-15]; 1 ov. female (RMNH. CRUS.D.56746), same collection data [LB-St3-11]; 1 male, 1 female (MZB Cru 4051), western Lombok, Sira, seagrass flat with some muddy areas, burrow, suction pump, 0.2–0.5 m, leg. D.L. Rahayu et al., 13 May 2014 [male: LB-St4-25, female: LB-St4-26]; 1 ov. female (RMNH. CRUS.D.56747), same collection data [LB-St4-22].

Taxonomic account. See Anker & Jeng (2006); see also Anker (2011b) for additional illustrations.

Habitat. Near-shore sand flats, often with seagrass or near seagrass beds; “commensally” in burrows of unknown hosts, possibly callianassid ghost shrimps (see below); depth range: intertidal and shallow subtidal (around 0–5 m).

Distribution. Indo-West Pacific: Philippines, Indonesia (new record), French Polynesia (Anker & Jeng 2006; Anker 2011b; present study).

Remarks. Richalpheus palmeri, possibly a widespread infaunal shrimp, is recorded from Lombok and Indonesia for the first time. In Lombok, it appears to co-occur with another infaunal alpheid, Leptalpheus denticulatus (see above). Although the burrowing host (or hosts) of R. palmeri presently remain undetermined, it is suspected that they could be large ghost shrimps in the family Callianassidae, e.g., species of Glypturus Stimpson, 1866 and Neocallichirus Sakai, 1988 (Anker 2011b).