Validation of the Pleistocenic ghost shrimp Callichirus santensis Hernáez, Buchmann amp; Santana† (Decapoda: Callianassidae) from the southwestern Atlantic.

Hernáez et al. (2020) described a new fossil species of ghost shrimp, Callichirus santensis, from the Upper Pleistocene Cananéia Formation, southeast Brazil. The article in which C. santensis† was originally proposed was published online only (Hernáez et al., 2020), but did not include a ZooBank registration number (LISD), required for validation of the new names in electronic-only publications [vide Art. 8.5.3 of the amended Code of the International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature (ICZN, 1999, 2012)]. Therefore, the present note serves to validate the name Callichirus santensis by fulfilling the ICZN conditions for nomenclatural availability.

Prior residence and body size influence interactions between black sea urchins.

Body size and prior residence can modulate agonistic interaction in several animal species, but scientists know little about these relationships in echinoderms. In this study, we tested the effects of these traits on interactions in the black sea urchin (Echinometra lucunter). After a sea urchin was isolated for 24-h in a glass tank to establish prior residence, we introduced an intruder animal adjacent to the resident in the tank and observed interactions for 30 min. The intruder animal was larger, smaller, or size-matched to the resident. We found body size and prior residence concomitantly modulated interactions among black sea urchins, with prior residence as the major determinant. Black sea urchins mainly exhibited opponent inspection and fleeing responses during interaction to avoid fights, especially when a fight could be seriously disadvantageous (small intruder vs. large resident).