Alpheus formosus Gibbes, 1850

Alpheus formosus Gibbes, 1850 View in CoL

Previous records. (?) Abele, 1976: 272 [around Colón]; (?) Birkeland et al., 1976: 136 [Galeta reef]; (?) Heck, 1979: 200 [Caribbean Panama]; (?) Cubit and Williams, 1983: 24 [Galeta Point]; (?) Heck, 1977: 338 [area around Galeta island]; Knowlton and Mills, 1992: 2 [Caribbean Panama]; Knowlton and Weigt, 1998: 2258 [Caribbean Panama, as A. formosus sp. a]; Williams et al., 2001: 377 [Caribbean Panama, as A. formosus A]; Anker et al., 2008b: 5 [Bocas del Toro; Isla Grande].

Remarks. Common and conspicuous species widely distributed in the western Atlantic, from North Carolina southwards to São Paulo and Trindade Island, Brazil, including most of the Caribbean Sea and Gulf of Mexico ( Anker et al., 2008b; 2016); typically in reef and nearby habitats, especially amongst rubble, in depth of 0– 40 m. Older records may refer to the relatively recently described Alpheus paraformosus Anker, Hurt and Knowlton, 2008 , which also occurs in Panama (see below).