Lepidophthalmus turneranus
Encyclopedia
Lepidophthalmus turneranus (formerly Callianassa turnerana), the Cameroon ghost shrimp, is a species of "ghost shrimp
" or "mud lobster" that lives off the coast of West Africa
. It occasionally irrupts into dense swarms, one of which resulted in the naming of the country Cameroon
.
s and estuaries
, including almost fresh water
, around the Gulf of Guinea
from Togo
to Congo
.
ends in three or five teeth, a featured shared with the Madagascan
species L. grandidieri. In juveniles
, the teeth may be missing. There is a sexual dimorphism
in the form of the cheliped (claw-bearing appendage
): females have a "deep cresent-shaped depression" near the base of the inside of the claw's fixed finger, while males lack this depression.
s in mud. Every three to five years, vast swarms form in estuaries
, and copulation occurs outside the burrow. When James Aspinall Turner
presented the first specimens to the British Museum
, he noted that:
by Adam White
in 1861, under the name Callianassa turnerana. That description was based on a specimen given by "the captain of an African trader" to James Aspinall Turner
, who in turn presented it to the Zoology Department of the British Museum (now part of the Natural History Museum
). The species was transferred to the genus Lepidophthalmus
by K. Sakai in 1999.
in the 15th century, they witnessed a swarm of L. turneranus, and therefore named the river ("river of the shrimp"). That name was anglicised
to "Cameroons River", which came to be used for the whole country, and borrowed into other languages (including the French
, the German
and the Dutch
).
Thalassinidea
Thalassinidea is an infraorder of decapod crustaceans that live in burrows in muddy bottoms of the world's oceans. In Australian English, the littoral thalassinidean Trypaea australiensis is referred to as the yabby , frequently used as bait for estuarine fishing; elsewhere, however, they are...
" or "mud lobster" that lives off the coast of West Africa
West Africa
West Africa or Western Africa is the westernmost region of the African continent. Geopolitically, the UN definition of Western Africa includes the following 16 countries and an area of approximately 5 million square km:-Flags of West Africa:...
. It occasionally irrupts into dense swarms, one of which resulted in the naming of the country Cameroon
Cameroon
Cameroon, officially the Republic of Cameroon , is a country in west Central Africa. It is bordered by Nigeria to the west; Chad to the northeast; the Central African Republic to the east; and Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, and the Republic of the Congo to the south. Cameroon's coastline lies on the...
.
Distribution
Lepidophthalmus turneranus is found in lagoonLagoon
A lagoon is a body of shallow sea water or brackish water separated from the sea by some form of barrier. The EU's habitat directive defines lagoons as "expanses of shallow coastal salt water, of varying salinity or water volume, wholly or partially separated from the sea by sand banks or shingle,...
s and estuaries
Estuary
An estuary is a partly enclosed coastal body of water with one or more rivers or streams flowing into it, and with a free connection to the open sea....
, including almost fresh water
Freshwater
Fresh water is naturally occurring water on the Earth's surface in ice sheets, ice caps, glaciers, bogs, ponds, lakes, rivers and streams, and underground as groundwater in aquifers and underground streams. Fresh water is generally characterized by having low concentrations of dissolved salts and...
, around the Gulf of Guinea
Gulf of Guinea
The Gulf of Guinea is the northeasternmost part of the tropical Atlantic Ocean between Cape Lopez in Gabon, north and west to Cape Palmas in Liberia. The intersection of the Equator and Prime Meridian is in the gulf....
from Togo
Togo
Togo, officially the Togolese Republic , is a country in West Africa bordered by Ghana to the west, Benin to the east and Burkina Faso to the north. It extends south to the Gulf of Guinea, on which the capital Lomé is located. Togo covers an area of approximately with a population of approximately...
to Congo
Republic of the Congo
The Republic of the Congo , sometimes known locally as Congo-Brazzaville, is a state in Central Africa. It is bordered by Gabon, Cameroon, the Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of the Congo , the Angolan exclave province of Cabinda, and the Gulf of Guinea.The region was dominated by...
.
Description
Adults reach a total length of 5.5–14.5 cm (2.2–5.7 ). The rostrumRostrum (anatomy)
The term rostrum is used for a number of unrelated structures in different groups of animals:*In crustaceans, the rostrum is the forward extension of the carapace in front of the eyes....
ends in three or five teeth, a featured shared with the Madagascan
Madagascar
The Republic of Madagascar is an island country located in the Indian Ocean off the southeastern coast of Africa...
species L. grandidieri. In juveniles
Juvenile (organism)
A juvenile is an individual organism that has not yet reached its adult form, sexual maturity or size. Juveniles sometimes look very different from the adult form, particularly in terms of their colour...
, the teeth may be missing. There is a sexual dimorphism
Sexual dimorphism
Sexual dimorphism is a phenotypic difference between males and females of the same species. Examples of such differences include differences in morphology, ornamentation, and behavior.-Examples:-Ornamentation / coloration:...
in the form of the cheliped (claw-bearing appendage
Appendage
In invertebrate biology, an appendage is an external body part, or natural prolongation, that protrudes from an organism's body . It is a general term that covers any of the homologous body parts that may extend from a body segment...
): females have a "deep cresent-shaped depression" near the base of the inside of the claw's fixed finger, while males lack this depression.
Ecology and behaviour
Lepidophthalmus turneranus lives in burrowBurrow
A burrow is a hole or tunnel dug into the ground by an animal to create a space suitable for habitation, temporary refuge, or as a byproduct of locomotion. Burrows provide a form of shelter against predation and exposure to the elements, so the burrowing way of life is quite popular among the...
s in mud. Every three to five years, vast swarms form in estuaries
Estuary
An estuary is a partly enclosed coastal body of water with one or more rivers or streams flowing into it, and with a free connection to the open sea....
, and copulation occurs outside the burrow. When James Aspinall Turner
James Aspinall Turner
James Aspinall Turner was a British businessman, entomologist and Whig politician.James was the son of John Turner of Mayfield, near Bolton, and his wife Elizabeth Aspinall of Liverpool. He was a descendant of John Turner who had fought against the Old Pretender in 1715.Turner was a prominent...
presented the first specimens to the British Museum
British Museum
The British Museum is a museum of human history and culture in London. Its collections, which number more than seven million objects, are amongst the largest and most comprehensive in the world and originate from all continents, illustrating and documenting the story of human culture from its...
, he noted that:
... this long-bodied Crustacean appears periodically in the river in prodigious numbers, which disappear in the course of ten days or a fortnight. The natives are very fond of them, as they are delicious eating; and as soon as they make their appearance in the river, the men here leave their usual pursuits to catch them.
Taxonomic history
The Cameroon ghost shrimp was first describedAlpha taxonomy
Alpha taxonomy is the discipline concerned with finding, describing and naming species of living or fossil organisms. This field is supported by institutions holding collections of these organisms, with relevant data, carefully curated: such institutes include natural history museums, herbaria and...
by Adam White
Adam White (zoologist)
-Biography:White was born in Edinburgh. He became acquainted with John Edward Gray, Keeper of Zoology at the British Museum. At the age of eighteen, White obtained a post in the Museum in the Zoology Department....
in 1861, under the name Callianassa turnerana. That description was based on a specimen given by "the captain of an African trader" to James Aspinall Turner
James Aspinall Turner
James Aspinall Turner was a British businessman, entomologist and Whig politician.James was the son of John Turner of Mayfield, near Bolton, and his wife Elizabeth Aspinall of Liverpool. He was a descendant of John Turner who had fought against the Old Pretender in 1715.Turner was a prominent...
, who in turn presented it to the Zoology Department of the British Museum (now part of the Natural History Museum
Natural History Museum
The Natural History Museum is one of three large museums on Exhibition Road, South Kensington, London, England . Its main frontage is on Cromwell Road...
). The species was transferred to the genus Lepidophthalmus
Lepidophthalmus
Lepidophthalmus is a genus of ghost shrimp, containing the following species:*Lepidophthalmus bocourti *Lepidophthalmus eiseni Holmes, 1904*Lepidophthalmus grandidieri...
by K. Sakai in 1999.
Cameroon
L. turneranus is "probably the only crustacean ... for which a country is named". When the Portuguese discovered the Wouri RiverWouri River
The Wouri is a river in Cameroon. The river is formed at the confluence of the rivers Nkam and Makombé, northeast of the city of Yabassi. The Wouri then flows about southeast to the Wouri estuary at Douala, the chief port and industrial city in the southwestern part of Cameroon on the Gulf of...
in the 15th century, they witnessed a swarm of L. turneranus, and therefore named the river ("river of the shrimp"). That name was anglicised
Anglicisation
Anglicisation, or anglicization , is the process of converting verbal or written elements of any other language into a form that is more comprehensible to an English speaker, or, more generally, of altering something such that it becomes English in form or character.The term most often refers to...
to "Cameroons River", which came to be used for the whole country, and borrowed into other languages (including the French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
, the German
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
and the Dutch
Dutch language
Dutch is a West Germanic language and the native language of the majority of the population of the Netherlands, Belgium, and Suriname, the three member states of the Dutch Language Union. Most speakers live in the European Union, where it is a first language for about 23 million and a second...
).