Designation of a neotype for Glypturus rabalaisae Sakai, 2011, a ghost shrimp from continental shelf waters of the northern Gulf of Mexico (Crustacea: Decapoda: Callianassidae).

Abstract

Glypturus rabalaisae Sakai, 2011 was named for type materials identified solely on the basis of illustrations that had been originally reported as "Glypturus acanthochirus" by previous authors (Rabalais et al. 1981). As the voucher specimens for those illustrations (thus the types) are lost, a neotype is designated. "Glypturus rabalaisae" as originally applied by Sakai (2005) constituted a nomen nudum, and the name has debatably remained so regarded, since the description in Sakai (2011) failed to clearly account for disposition of a type. In the interest of stability, his 2011 description is herewith regarded to meet minimum ICZN requirements for validity, and the name is conserved. Synonymies, brief diagnoses, and updated ranges are provided for Glypturus rabalaisae and its only known regional congener, G. acanthochirus Stimpson, 1866. Available illustrations of G. rabalaisae are augmented by color photographs.