The caridean shrimps of the family Thalassocarididae Bate, 1888 (Crustacea: Decapoda) from the Philippine PANGLAO 2004 expedition, with a note on the ecology of Thalassocaris crinita (Dana, 1852)

Abstract

The caridean shrimp family Thalassocarididae Bate, 1888, collected during the Philippine PANGLAO 2004 expedition consists of two genera and two species, namely Chlorotocoides spinicauda (De Man, 1902) and Thalassocaris crinita (Dana, 1852). In contradiction to the previously held belief that the genus Thalassocaris is pelagic, all 21 specimens of T. crinita were collected from coral reef rubble or other benthic habitats. The colouration of these two species is illustrated for the first time. A review of previous records of T. crinita is presented, which concludes that the species appears to live in benthic habitats, occasionally becoming planktonic at night.