V Sepahvand - Iranian National Institute for Oceanography and Atmospheric Sciences, Bushehr, Iran

The ghost shrimps comprise decapod crustaceans that are adapted to a burrowing life- style (Poore, 1994). These are usually known as mud lobster, mud shrimp, ghost shrimp, burrowing shrimp and thalassinidean shrimp. These are significant in several features (see Dworschak et al, 2012). Such as bioturbation, role in food chains, symbioses and economics (used as pests, Importance at fisheries). Ghost shrimps of the Persian Gulf have been subject of several studies, including: Nobili (1906), Sakai and Türkay(1995), Dworschak (2009), Sepahvand & Sari (2010) and Sepahvand et al. (2012).The littoral areas of the Bushehr province present a variety of habitats , including muddy, sandy, boulder and mangrove forest. All of these habitats are not suitable for presence of these shrimps. Neocallichirus Jousseaumei (Nobili, 1904) and N. calmani (Nobili, 1904) prefer boulder or limeston rocks (Carbonat rock) and sandy-muddy habitats, respectively (Sepahvand et al., 2012). Taxonomy of the mud shrimp has been not stable and in recent decade have a dynamics status (see Tudge et al, 2000; Felder & Robles, 2009; Sakai, 2011; Dworschak et al., 2012). The main purpose of the present study was to present two new records of ghost shrimps of the Bushehr province, Persian Gulf. Notes on habitat preferences and commensals as well as symbiotic animals for these two shrimps are provided. Prior to present study N. calmani was recorded in coastal area of Gulf of Oman and N. jousseaumei from Qeshm Island and Gulf of Oman (Sepahvand et al., 2012). Sampling was carried out north of Eli village in the Bushehr Province (27° 50′ 14.62″ N and 51° 53′ 24.85″ E) (Fig.1) Due to the nature of substrate type of the habitat, a lever was used for lifting boulders for collecting N. jousseaumei specimens, N. calmani was collected in sandy-muddy habitat using a spade. Collected specimens were transferred to 80% ethanol. Some material from the Zoological Museum, University of Tehran (ZUTC) was compared with specimens of the present study. The size is expressed as total length (TL in mm) from the tip of the rostrum to the end of the telson and as carapace length (CL in mm) from the tip of the rostrum to the posterior median edge of the carapace. Species synonymy is given only for original descriptions and recent studies. As the morphological characters seem to be well agreed to original description, here a brief description on live coloration of each species, habitat type, Symbiotic animals, and burrowing shape are presented.