Lepidophthalmus turneranus

Lepidophthalmus turneranus

Lepidophthalmus turneranus (formerly Callianassa turnerana ), also known as ( Blue ) Cameroon shrimp, is a native to the west coast of Africa local crayfish. Periodically swarm wise deposits in the region of Kamerunästuars is used by fishing. Portuguese named the river Wouri in the 15th century due to such a swarm " Rio dos Camarãos ", hence its modern name of the country of Cameroon.

Features

Lepidophthalmus turneranus reach body lengths from 5.5 to 14.5 cm. The segments 3-5 of the abdomen are hand move smoothly. The telson is slightly wider than long, and also smooth, without distinct ridges. The adjacent endopodite of uropods are longer than the telson. The rostrum extends distally in adult animals over the eyes and is composed of three or five equally long teeth. In young animals, this feature may be less pronounced or even absent. The base of the first antenna pair is much larger than that of the second pair.

Female specimens have on the palms of the scissors on the first pair of walking legs a crescent- shaped depression, which is absent in males.

Distribution and habitat

It is native to the coastal waters in the Gulf of Guinea, the spread ranges from the Ivory Coast in the north to the Republic of the Congo to the south. Above all, lagoons and estuaries are colonized, so that Lepidophthalmus turneranus can be found both in salt water than in brackish water.

Like most types of Callianassidae lives Lepidophthalmus turneranus in self-dug mud caves in the sea floor. Every three to five years out of the cave passages to swarm into the Äsutare.

Use

Lepidophthalmus turneranus is the only species of the family Callianassidae that serves as food for humans. During the swarming into the Äsutare these shrimp are caught primarily with baskets. Female animals are eaten as a whole, while an ingredient of the males are said to irritate the throat. By squeezing is obtained from the male Pleons oil.

Taxonomy

The species is named after James Aspinall Turner and was first described in 1861 by Adam White as Callianassa turnerana. K. Sakai put the type in 1999 in the genus Lepidophthalmus, including due to the typical multi-pointed for this type rostrum and of the non-extended carpus on scissors bearing the first walking legs in males.

Synonyms are Callianassa krukenbergi Neumann, 1878, Callianassa diademata Ortmann, 1891, Callianassa turnerana White, 1861, and Callichirus turneranus (White, 1861).

Swell

• Lipke B. Holthuis, Food and Agriculture Organization (ed. ): Marine Lobsters of the World. An Annotated and Illustrated Catalogue of Species of Interest to Fisheries Known to Date ( = FAO Fisheries Synopsis. 125). Rome, 1991, ISBN 978-92-5-103027-1 (p. 250-252 ).