Alpheus scopulus Kim and Abele, 1988
Alpheus scopulus is a snapping shrimp from the eastern Pacific, first described from Panama. It can be found among rocks, sand, and gravel, in intertidal to shallow subtidal areas.
Alpheus scopulus belongs to the Edwardsii species group within the genus Alpheus (Kim and Abele 1988). The species name is derived from the Latin "scopulus" (a cliff), and refers to the steep boundary separating the anterior margin of the rostral carina from the posterior portion of the orbitorostral groove. Type locality: Whorehouse Reef, Panama (Kim and Abele 1988), types stored at the National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution (USNM). Holotype: USNM 229928.
Free-living among sand, sandy gravel, rock, and silt, shore to 2 m depth (Kim and Abele 1988).
Maximum body size (carapace length, or CL) of males is 16.8 mm; females, 15.2 mm (Kim and Abele 1988).
Sequenced in Mathews and Anker (2009); sequences available in GenBank for 16S mtDNA (FJ528446), COI (FJ528490), myosin heavy chain (FJ528571).
Eastern Pacific: Panama, Galapagos Islands (Kim and Abele 1988).