First record of the hippolytid shrimp Hippolyteaustraliensis (Stimpson, 1860) (Crustacea, Decapoda) from China.

Abstract

Two specimens of the genus Hippolyte were examined from the caridean collections of the Marine Biological Museum, Chinese Academy of Sciences. These specimens were captured in the South China Sea in 1987. Detailed inspection revealed that their morphological features closely match the (re)descriptions of Hippolyteaustraliensis, especially in the presence of a long, distinct lateral carina on the rostrum, a dorsally unarmed rostral border, and four prominent terminal spines on the dactylus of the last three pereiopods. The discovery of Hippolyteaustraliensis in Chinese waters represents a significant expansion of its geographic distribution from the South Pacific to the North Pacific. Furthermore, an additional taxonomical report of H.australiensis is provided since its retrieval in 2001.