Synalpheus regalis

External image
External image
	Images and further information from 'ants', Thailand

Synalpheus regalis
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Malacostraca
Order:	Decapoda
Suborder:	Pleocyemata
Infraorder:	Caridea
Family:	Alpheidae
Genus:	Synalpheus
Species:	S. regalis
Binomial name
	Synalpheus regalis; Duffy, 1996
Synonyms
	Zuzalpheus regalis (Duffy, 1996)

Synalpheus regalis is a species of snapping shrimp that commonly live in sponges in the coral reefs along the tropical West Atlantic.^[3]^[4] They form a prominent component of the diverse marine cryptofauna of the region.^[3] For the span of their entire lives, they live in the internal canals of the host sponge, using it as a food resource and shelter.^[4] It has been shown that colonies contain over 300 individuals, but only one reproductive female.^[5] Also, larger colony members, most of which apparently never breed, defend the colony against heterospecific intruders.^[5] This evidence points towards the first known case of eusociality in a marine animal.

The species name "regalis" comes from the Latin regalis which means royal.^[3] This likely stems from the structural hierarchy of the colonies in which only a single female produces all of the offspring.

^ Sammy De Grave (2012). "Synalpheus regalis Duffy, 1996". WoRMS. World Register of Marine Species. Retrieved October 10, 2012.
^ Arthur Anker & Sammy De Grave (2008). "Zuzalpheus Ríos and Duffy, 2007: a junior synonym of Synalpheus Bate, 1888 (Decapoda: Alpheidae)" (PDF). Journal of Crustacean Biology. 28 (4): 735–740. doi:10.1651/07-2969.1.
^ ^a ^b ^c Cite error: The named reference autogenerated564 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^ ^a ^b Esra Deniz Gumuser. "A marine dwelling eusocial organism: Synalpheus regalis". Connexions. Retrieved 9 October 2012.
^ ^a ^b J. Emmett Duffy (1996). "Eusociality in a coral-reef shrimp" (PDF). Nature. 381 (6582): 512–514. Bibcode:1996Natur.381..512D. doi:10.1038/381512a0. S2CID 33166806.

[1] Sammy De Grave (2012). "Synalpheus regalis Duffy, 1996". WoRMS. World Register of Marine Species. Retrieved October 10, 2012.

[anker-2] Arthur Anker & Sammy De Grave (2008). "Zuzalpheus Ríos and Duffy, 2007: a junior synonym of Synalpheus Bate, 1888 (Decapoda: Alpheidae)" (PDF). Journal of Crustacean Biology. 28 (4): 735–740. doi:10.1651/07-2969.1.

[autogenerated564-3] Cite error: The named reference autogenerated564 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).

[Marine-4] Esra Deniz Gumuser. "A marine dwelling eusocial organism: Synalpheus regalis". Connexions. Retrieved 9 October 2012.

[Coral-5] J. Emmett Duffy (1996). "Eusociality in a coral-reef shrimp" (PDF). Nature. 381 (6582): 512–514. Bibcode:1996Natur.381..512D. doi:10.1038/381512a0. S2CID 33166806.

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]