Second findings of the ghost shrimps Gourretia laresi Blanco Rambla & Liñero Arana, 1994 and Ctenocheles holthuisi Rodrigues, 1978 (Decapoda, Axiidea, Ctenochelidae)

Abstract

Two ghost shrimps of the family Ctenochelidae are reported from the Brazilian continental shelf (25-50 m) off the coast of central Bahia, southwest of Salvador, for the first time since their original descriptions. Gourretia laresi Blanco Rambla & Linero Arana, 1994 was previously only known from the holotype dredged off the coast of Venezuela. The finding of a single female specimen of G. laresi off Bahia represents a considerable southward range extension and the first record of this species and of the genus Gourretia for Brazil and the southwestern Atlantic. Ctenocheles holthuisi Rodrigues, 1978 was hitherto only known from the holotype dredged off southern Alagoas. The two Bahian specimens of C. holthuisi, one male and one incomplete female, represent the second finding of this remarkable ghost shrimp in Brazil, a slight southward range extension, and a new record for the state of Bahia. Some taxonomic notes are provided for both G. laresi and C. holthuisi, and their main diagnostic features are illustrated based on the new material.