Journal of Threatened Taxa | www.threatenedtaxa.org | 26 June 2021 | 13(7): 18903–18907

 

ISSN 0974-7907 (Online) | ISSN 0974-7893 (Print) 

https://doi.org/10.11609/jott.5810.13.7.18903-18907

#5810 | Received 25 February 2020 | Final received 16 December 2020 | Finally accepted 09 May 2021

 

A new distribution record of stomatopods Odontodactylus japonicus (De Haan, 1844) and Lysiosquilla tredecimdentata (Holthuis, 1941) from the Puducherry coastal waters, east coast of India

 

S. Nithya Mary 1, V. Ravitchandirane 2  & B. Gunalan 3

 

1,2 Department of Zoology, Kanchi Mamunivar Government Institute for Postgraduate Studies and Research, Lawspet, Puducherry 605008, India.

3 Thiru Kolanjiappar Government Arts College, Virudhachalam, Tamil Nadu 606001, India.

1 sofinithy@gmail.com (corresponding author), 2 vairavit@yahoo.co.in, 3 aquagunal@gmail.com

 

 

 

Editor: Anonymity requested.   Date of publication: 26 June 2021 (online & print)

 

Citation: Mary, S.N., V. Ravitchandirane & B. Gunalan (2021). A new distribution record of stomatopods Odontodactylus japonicus (De Haan, 1844) and Lysiosquilla tredecimdentata (Holthuis, 1941) from the Puducherry coastal waters, east coast of India. Journal of Threatened Taxa 13(7): 18903–18907. https://doi.org/10.11609/jott.5810.13.7.18903-18907

 

Copyright: © Mary et al. 2021. Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.  JoTT allows unrestricted use, reproduction, and distribution of this article in any medium by providing adequate credit to the author(s) and the source of publication.

 

Funding: Self-funded.

 

Competing interests: The authors declare no competing interests.

 

Acknowledgements: We thank the Director of Kanchi Mamunivar Government Institute for Postgraduate Studies and Research, Puducherry for allowing us to carry out this work. We also thank our PG and Research Department of Zoology for their intellectual support and encouragement. A special thanks to the fishermen of Puducherry coastal villages who helped us to collect the specimens.

 

 

Abstract: Stomatopods in India are well known with 79 species recorded to date. Here I report the Odontodactylus japonicus (De Haan, 1844) and Golden Mantis Shrimp Lysiosquilla tredecimdentata Holothuis, 1941 for the first time in Puducherry coastal waters. A single specimen of Lysiosquilla tredecimdentata was collected from by-catch in the Nallavadu landing centre, Puducherry coast on 19 November 2019 and two specimens of L. tredecimdentata were recorded again in Pillaichavadi landing centre of Puducherry coast on 22 November 2019. One specimen of Odontodactylus japonicus was collected at Nallavadu landing centre, Puducherry coast on 20 December 2019. The present study was undertaken to identify the status of distribution, habitat, and ecological aspects along with the information of spread, confinement, endemism as well as rare, threatened and endangered species. The significance of these new observations is to discern the taxonomic position and characteristics for better understanding of the mantis shrimp group. The specimens were identified, described, illustrated, and measured morphometrically.

  

Keywords: By-catch, Golden Mantis Shrimp, morphometric measurements.

 

 

 

Macro invertebrates, especially crustaceans, molluscs, and echinoderms play an important role in ecological interdependence with other species and have a marked influence on benthic community structure (Venkataraman & Wafar 2005; Bijukumar 2008; Wafar et al. 2011). Stomatopods, also called mantis shrimps, are elongate, flattened, shrimp- or lobster-like crustaceans (Carpenter & Neim 1998) and notable for their aggressive behaviour. Stomatopod crustaceans are common members of benthic ecosystems in tropical and subtropical marine and brackish waters throughout the world (Antony et al 2010). The attributed feature of stomatopods are the large well-built raptorial appendages for capturing the prey by ‘spiking’ or ‘smashing’ depending on the dactyl is extended or held folded while going on a foray. Stomatopods are prevalent and appealing inhabitants of coral reefs.  They form a cardinal status in the ocean food chain (Caldwell 2006). They are a source of food and medicine (Subasinghe 1999). To date, about 485 species, 115 genera, and 17 families of mantis shrimp are described (WoRMS 25 December 2018). The diversification of stomatopods in India put the foundation for the publication of the first monograph of the Indo-Pacific mantis shrimps (Stomatopoda) (Kemp 1913). Succeedingly, numerous studies drawn out the information of Indian Stomatopoda (Kemp & Chopra 1921; Shanbogue 1969, 1986; Ghosh 1991, 1995, 1998); the most recent checklist of Indian stomatopods records 79 species (Roy & Gokul 2012). Although stomatopods occur along the entire Indian coast, most published records are from localities on the eastern coast. Recent studies of commercial trawl by-catch primarily along the southern and southwestern coasts (Tamil Nadu and Kerala) resulted in numerous new records and discoveries of decapod crustaceans (Komai et al. 2013; Kumar et al. 2013; Ng et al. 2016, 2017; Yang et al. 2017). The pan tropical stomatopod genus Lysiosquilla, which includes the largest known stomatopods, comprises 12 species, five of which are reported in the Indo-West Pacific region.  The odontodactylid mantis shrimp is the only genus found in the family Odontodactylidae. These are relatively small when compared to banded mantis shrimp and it displays rare occurrence in Indian waters. The present study documented the first record of Odontodactylus japonicus and Golden Mantis Shrimp Lysiosquilla tredecimdentata from Puducherry coastal waters, eastern coast of India.

 

Materials and Methods

A single specimen of L. tredecimdentata was collected from by-catch in the Nallavadu landing centre, Puducherry coast on 19 November 2019 (Image 1) and two specimens of L. tredecimdentata were recorded again in Pillaichavadi landing centre of Puducherry coast on 22 November 2019 (Image 3). One specimen of O. japonicus was collected at Nallavadu landing centre, Puducherry coast on 20 December 2019 (Image 2). All the  specimens were collected as a bycatch by hand picking and its identification was carried out using standard guidelines (Manning, 1978; Ahyong et al., 2008). Terminology, description and morphometric measurements generally follow Manning (1978) and Ahyong (2001).

 

Results

Odontodactylus japonicus, De Haan, 1844

Class: Malacostraca Latreille, 1802

Order: Stomatopoda Latreille, 1817

Family: Odontodactylidae Manning, 1980

Genus: Odontodactylus Bigelow, 1893

Species: japonicus De Haan, 1844

Material observed: Paratype, ZSI/MBRC-D1-623, Male, 20.xii.2019, Nallavadu, Puducherry, 11.858N, 79.815E, NW-3543 (Image 2, Table 1), at 18 km, 30 m depth, coll. Nithya Mary

Systematic position

 

Diagnostic characters

Carapace, thorax, and abdomen smooth, not trimmed with any longitudinal ridges. Antennular scale with smooth anterior margin, without setae in adults. Rostral plate triangular. Raptorial claw short and strengthened at base of terminal segment, adapted for smashing prey; inner margin of dactyl not toothed with more than 5; proximal margin strongly inflated; telson mid-dorsal surface with distinct median carina and four longitudinal carinae either side of midline. Uropodal exopod proximal distinctly longer than distal segment; outer margin with 10–12 movable spines.

 

Colour in life

Overall pink in colour. Antennal scale white dorsally with purple and orange ventrally. Uropod yellow with red setae. Exopod with outer movable spines yellow orange with blue posterior margin; distal end of endopod and exopod with red setae. Anterior carapace with brown patches.

 

Remarks

Specimen of O. japonicus examined above show adult diagnostic characters. The longitudinal carina on the inner intermediate denticle and the colour pattern resembles adults. It inhabits in level sandy or shelly substrates from 30–80 m depth. Odontodactylus is the only genus found in the family Odontodactylidae. Nothing much is known about the biology of odontodactylids and there is no organised fisheries known to exist for them. Ahyong & Kumar (2018), reported the first record of O. japonicus from Muttom, Tamil Nadu. Since then, Kumar reported O. japonicus in east coast, after which there is no record of O. japonicus. We report this species for the first time in Puducherry coastal waters, the east coast of India. The previously known Indian Ocean distribution of O. japonicus is highly disjunct and hence the present record has enlarged the distributional gap.

 

Ecology and Distribution

Homed in simple U-shaped burrows and lined and covered with rubble (Caldwell 2006).  Indo-West Pacific, from the western Indian Ocean to Australia and Japan (Manning 1967).

 

Lysiosquilla tredecimdentata Holthuis, 1941

Class: Malacostraca Latreille, 1802

Order: Stomatopoda Latreille, 1817

Family: Lysiosquillidae Giesbrecht, 1910

Genus: Lysiosquilla Dana, 1852

Species: tredecimdentata Holthuis, 1941

Material observed: Paratype, ZSI/MBRC-D1624, Male, 19.xi.2019, Nallavadu, Puducherry, 11.858N, 79.815E,  NW-3543 and again 22.xi.2019, Pillaichavadi Puducherry, 12.008N, 79.858E, NW 4892 (Image 1, 3, Table 2), at 18 km, 30 m depth, coll. Nithya Mary.

 

Diagnostic characters

The texture of Carapace, thorax, and abdomen are smooth without any carina or ridges; raptorial claw large and slender with 9–13 teeth. Rostral plate cordate and broad. Eyes T-Shaped, with large, bilobed cornea; pereiopods 1–3 with slender, elongate endopod. Uropodal protopod with small spine anterior to endopod articulation. Telson lacking movable sub median teeth and longitudinal carina.

 

Colour in life

Lysiosquillids are clearly banded with alternate light and darkly pigmented bands. Carapace with three dark, broad, transverse bands intervened by narrower pale bands. Uropodal exopod with distal ½ of proximal segment and proximal 2/3 of distal segment black; outer movable spines dark red. Uropodal endopod with distal 2/3 black. Antennal scale with dark brown outline. Pereiopods with pink setae on distal segment.

 

Remarks

Morphological characteristics of the specimen indicate that it belongs to banded mantis shrimps from the family Lysiosquillidae (Giesbrecht, 1910) and it is perfectly synchronized with the original description given by Holothuis (1941) and Shanbhogue (1970). Lysiosquillids live in monogamous pairs in long, deep burrows in coral reef flats, mud flats and soft sub tidal substrates (Ahyong et al. 2008). Pillai & Thirumilu (2006) have reported L. tredecimdentata from Cuddalore fishing harbour, Tamil Nadu coast of India. Silambarasan & Senthilkumaar (2014) reported the first occurrence of L. tredecimdentata, from Kasimedu fishing harbour, Chennai coast, Tamil Nadu, India and Chesalin (2013) also reports first record of the same species in the Omani waters of the Arabian Sea.

 

Ecology and Distribution

The species inhabits deep burrows on intertidal sand and mudflats, and level sub tidal substrates to 30 m (Ahyong 2001). Almost nothing is known about the biology of Lysiosquillids. According to Manning (1998) they make burrows with double entrance, one at each end, in level-bottom habitats in shallow water, from shore to a depth of about 25 m. Although they generally hunt from the mouth of their burrow, they occasionally leave their burrows and may be caught at night by lights or in trawls.

The known distribution of L. tredecimdentata is from Yemen (Red Sea) (Holthuis 1941) southward to Madagascar (Manning 1968) and South Africa (Manning 1978); from India eastward to Thailand, Vietnam, Taiwan, Australia and the central Pacific (Ahyong 2001). This is the first record of this species from the Puducherry coastal waters.

 

 

Table 1. Morphometric measurements of Odontodactylus japonicus

Measurements (mm)

O. japonicus

Total length

126

Carapace length

32

Carapace width

39

Thorax length

15

Abdomen length

58

Rostral plate length

4

Rostral plate width

7

Antennal scale length

5

Antennal scale width

3

Raptorial propodus length

29

Raptorial propodus depth

10

Telson length

21

Telson width

35

Total wet weight

25g

 

 

Table 2. Morphometric measurements of Lysiosquilla tredecimdentata

Measurements (mm)

L. tredecimdentata

Total length

295

Carapace length

65

Carapace width

85

Thorax length

69

Abdomen length

146

Rostral plate length

8

Rostral plate width

13

Antennal scale length

26

Antennal scale width

5

Raptorial propodus length

13

Raptorial propodus depth

45

Telson length

45

Telson width

69

Total wet weight

250 g

 

 

For images - - click here

 

 

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