Synalpheus hemphilli Coutiere 1909

Synalpheus hemphilli Coutière, 1909 Material examined: Ceará —2 M, Parque Estadual Marinho da Pedra da Risca do Meio, associated with Callyspongia (Cladochalina) aculeata (Linnaeus 1759), 22.0 m depth, MOUFPE 18389; Rio Grande do Norte — Natal: 1 M, Almirante Saldanha Expedition, St. 1657, 08.x.1967, 05°33.4′S 35°0.02′W, 52.0 m depth, MOUFPE 8778. Description: Coutière (1909), Verrill (1922), and Anker et al. (2012). Distribution: Bermuda, USA (from North Carolina to Florida), Gulf of Mexico, Curaçao, Bonaire, Panama, Cuba, Venezuela, and Brazil (Abrolhos, Ceará, Rio Grande do Norte, and Bahia) (Christoffersen 1979, 1988; Rodríguez 1980; Bezerra & Coelho 2006, Anker et al. 2012; this study). Ecology: In shallow reefs and adjacent areas and seagrass (Christoffersen 1979). Associated with sponges [e.g., Callyspongia (Cladochalina) aculeata, Haliclona sp.], dead corals, rocks and Phragmatopoma sp. reefs; in heterosexual pairs; 1–51 m (Chace 1956a; Hazlett 1962; Knowlton 1970; Christoffersen 1979; Bezerra & Coelho 2006; Anker et al. 2012; Velásquez et al. 2017; this study). Remarks: The present study, with the new record (Rio Grande do Norte), fills a gap in the species distribution along the Brazilian coast.