Stomatopod and Decapod crustaceans from the coast of Ilhéus, Bahia, Brazil

Abstract

The composition of crustacean fauna in coastal environments on the southeastern coast of Bahia still remains poorly known. The objective of this study was to survey sublittoral stomatopod and decapod (suborder Pleocyemata) from the coast of Ilhéus (14o47’55”S, 39o02’01”W). Samples were carried out from March 2003 to August 2004, at depths varying from 15 to 50 m. A total of 41 species, assigned to 17 families, was collected. The stomatopods were represented by 3 species in the family Squillidae. The Pleocyemata were represented by 38 species, belonging to 16 families. The most representative families in terms of number species were Mithracidae and Portunidae, both represented in our samples by 5 species. Squilla obtusa, Iliacantha liodactylus, Macrocoeloma concavum and M. septemspinosum had not been previously recorded south of Todos os Santos bay, northern coast of Bahia. Nematopalaemon schmitti, Exhippolysmata oplophoroides, Persephona lichtensteinii, P. mediterranea and Libinia ferreirae are referred from the coast of Bahia for the first time, filling gaps in their distribution along the Brazilian coast