Synalpheus africanus Crosnier & Forest 1965

Synalpheus cf. africanus Crosnier & Forest, 1965 Material examined: None. Description: Anker et al. (2012). Distribution: Eastern Atlantic: São Tomé and Príncipe. Western Atlantic: Panama (Bocas del Toro), Dominican Republic (Bayahibe), Aruba and Brazil (Rocas Atoll) (Anker et al. 2012). Ecology: In cavities of dead eroded corals and in coralline algae; in heterosexual pairs; up to 2 m (Anker et al. 2012). Remarks: The amphi-Atlantic S. africanus is morphologically very similar to S. tenuispina (Coutière, 1909) (see Anker et al. 2012). However, Anker et al. (2012) reported genetic differences between specimens from São Tomé and Príncipe (a male and an ovigerous female) and a typical S. africanus specimen from the eastern Atlantic. Additionally, the authors noted that materials from Rocas Atoll, Aruba, and Panama exhibit characteristics more consistent with S. africanus than S. tenuispina, particularly regarding the length of the scaphocerite and the shape of the rostrum (Anker et al. 2012). Specimens from these regions were also found to be significantly smaller than the type material of S. tenuispina. According to Anker et al. (2012), a more comprehensive study, encompassing both morphological and genetic analysis, must be conducted to address the taxonomic issues associated with these taxa.