RHYNE, A.L.**; LIN, J.; Florida Institute of Technology; Florida Institute of Technology: A western Atlantic peppermint shrimp complex: redescription of Lysmata wurdemanni (Gibbes), description of four new species and remarks on L. rathbunae Chace (Crustacea: Decapoda: Hippolytidae)

The present study is the first revision of the western Atlantic peppermint shrimp complex Lysmata wurdemanni (Gibbes). Lysmata wurdemanni, originally described from Florida and South Carolina, is redescribed. Gibbes� types of L. wurdemanni are considered as lost, therefore, a neotype is selected from specimens collected near Key West, Florida. Lysmata rathbunae Chace is rediagnosed; its type locality of this species is restricted to Florida and Yucatan; Chace�s variety of L. rathbunae is separated from L. rathbunae and assigned to a new species. In total four new species are recognized: L. ankeri n. sp., L. boggessi n. sp., L. pederseni, n. sp. (corresponding to Chace�s variety of L. rathbunae), and L. bahia n. sp., all four previously mistaken for L. wurdemanni and/or L. rathbunae. Classical morphological and morphometrical analyses, in conjunction with examination of life color patterns, interbreeding experiments, and Differential Function Analysis (DFA) were used to corroborate the separation of these cryptic species. Each species may be most easily recognized by the unique color pattern. Lysmata pederseni, n. sp. also differs ecologically in being associated with tube sponges, a unique trait within the genus. Lysmata rathbunae appears to be a deep-water species, while the other five species are found mostly in shallow waters.