Bruce, A.J. (1971). Onycocaris zanzibarica sp. nov., a new pontoniid shrimp from East Africa. Journal of Natural History. 5: 293-298.

5998

Bruce, A.J.

1971

5: 293-298

Publication

22565

Available for editors   [request]

In the course of collecting specimens of pontoniid shrimps in East Africa, two were obtained from a sponge collected in shallow coastal waters off Zanzibar Island. The specimens were unfortunately subsequently desiccated and damaged during transportation and the male was virtually destroyed. The female, however, was preserved almost intact, although rather severely distorted. After treatment with sodium phosphate most of the features of taxonomic importance of the shrimp could be adequately determined and a satisfactory description could be compiled. On examination the specimen proved to be a species of the genus Onycocaris Nobili, 1904, which is limited to the Indo-West-Pacific region and contains at present only three species, O. aualitica (Nobili, 1904), O. quadratophthalmus (Balss, 1921) and O. stenolepis Holthuis, (1952). The present specimens, despite their poor state, could be readily separated from the three species previously reported and are now described as new. Like the species O. quadratophthalmus, which has been reported to live in association with sponges (Halthuis, 1952; Miyake & Fujino, 1967), the specimens were also obtained from a sponge.

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