Tanaidaceans

Abstract

Little information is available of the crustacean order Tanaidacea in Costa Rican coastal waters. There are published reports for four species: Parapseudes pedispinis, Neotanais armiger, N. pfaffi, and " Anatanais? sp. " from Pacific coast, and an unpublished report for the genera Leptochelia and Apseudes from the Caribbean. Preliminary data obtained from a limited shallow water survey (1998–2001), restricted to just four areas on each coast, indicate the presence of a relatively diverse tanaidacean fauna, especially on the Caribbean coast. This survey was restricted largely to shoreline sites usually in depths of less than 2 m; for this reason, the tanaidaceans collected probably only represent a fraction of those occurring in Costa Rican waters. Preliminary examination of this material revealed the presence of several undescribed tanaidacean taxa. This would indicate that more extensive benthic sampling, especially at depths greater than 2 m, should yield many additional unknown species. The current status of the Tanaidacea previously reported from coastal and oceanic environments of Costa Rica is discussed, and a systematic list and synoptic table for the currently known species is presented.