Neogonodactylus zacae
In-game article clicks load inline without leaving the challenge.
Neogonodactylus zacae is a species of mantis shrimp (stomatopod) in the family Gonodactylidae. It is found in the eastern Pacific Ocean, particularly along the coast of Mexico.
Taxonomy
The species was originally described by Raymond B. Manning in 1972 as Gonodactylus zacae. It was later moved to the genus Neogonodactylus, which was established by Manning in 1995 to accommodate New World species of the family.
Description and habitat
Neogonodactylus zacae is one of eight species in its genus known from the eastern Pacific. It is distinguished from most other eastern Pacific Neogonodactylus species by its telson (tail section), which is not of the "Oerstedii-type".
The holotype for this species was collected at Port Guatulco (likely Huatulco), Mexico, and is housed in the American Museum of Natural History. Its range extends from the southwestern Gulf of California (Mazatlán) to the coast of Oaxaca. Like other members of its family, it is a predatory marine crustacean that typically inhabits shallow tropical waters.