Acutigebia danai is a mud shrimp

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...

 of the family

Family (biology)

In biological classification, family is* a taxonomic rank. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, genus, and species, with family fitting between order and genus. As for the other well-known ranks, there is the option of an immediately lower rank, indicated by the...

 Upogebiidae

Upogebiidae

Upogebiidae is a family of mud shrimp in the order Decapoda.-Genera:*Acutigebia Sakai, 1982*Aethogebia A. B. Williams, 1993*Arabigebicula Sakai, 2006*Austinogebia Ngoc-Ho, 2001*Gebiacantha Ngoc-Ho, 1989*Gebicula Alcock, 1901...

, endemic to the coastal waters of New Zealand

New Zealand

New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...

 and the Kermadec Islands

Kermadec Islands

The Kermadec Islands are a subtropical island arc in the South Pacific Ocean northeast of New Zealand's North Island, and a similar distance southwest of Tonga...

.

Distribution

It has been recorded from the Bay of Islands, Stewart Island, the Kaikoura Peninsula

Kaikoura Peninsula

The Kaikoura Peninsula is located in the northeast of New Zealand's South Island. It protrudes five kilometres into the Pacific Ocean.The town of Kaikoura is located on the north shore of the peninsula....

, Cook Strait

Cook Strait

Cook Strait is the strait between the North and South Islands of New Zealand. It connects the Tasman Sea on the west with the South Pacific Ocean on the east....

, Hauraki Gulf

Hauraki Gulf

The Hauraki Gulf is a coastal feature of the North Island of New Zealand. It has a total area of 4000 km², and lies between the Auckland Region, the Hauraki Plains, the Coromandel Peninsula and Great Barrier Island...

, Opoulu, Kaipara Harbour

Kaipara Harbour

Kaipara Harbour is a large enclosed harbour estuary complex on the north western side of the North Island of New Zealand. The northern part of the harbour is administered by the Kaipara District and the southern part is administered by the Rodney District...

, the Kermadec Islands

Kermadec Islands

The Kermadec Islands are a subtropical island arc in the South Pacific Ocean northeast of New Zealand's North Island, and a similar distance southwest of Tonga...

.

Taxonomy

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....

 had described Upogebia hirtifrons in 1847 from an Antarctic expedition, and when James Dwight Dana

James Dwight Dana

James Dwight Dana was an American geologist, mineralogist and zoologist. He made pioneering studies of mountain-building, volcanic activity, and the origin and structure of continents and oceans around the world.-Early life and career:...

 examined material from Bay of Islands

Bay of Islands

The Bay of Islands is an area in the Northland Region of the North Island of New Zealand. Located 60 km north-west of Whangarei, it is close to the northern tip of the country....

, New Zealand

New Zealand

New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...

, he assigned them to White's species. However, Edward J. Miers

Edward J. Miers

Edward John Miers F.Z.S. F.L.S. was a British zoologist and curator of the crustacean collection at the Natural History Museum in London...

 realised that the two were different species, and described the New Zealand species as Gebia danai, commemorating Dana in the specific epithet. Both species are now known to occur in New Zealand.