PROC. BIOL. SOC. WASH. 94(1), 1981, pp. 135-162 THREE NEW SHRIMPS, AND SOME INTERESTING NEW RECORDS OF DECAPOD CRUSTACEA FROM A DEEP-WATER CORAL REEF IN THE FLORIDA KEYS Robert H. Gore Abstract. — A small collection of 55 specimens of decapod crustaceans, obtained using a research submersible on a deep-water coral reef off Key Largo, Florida, produced one new genus and three new species of natantian shrimp, plus several major range extensions to the continental United States for other decapods. The new taxa included Veleroniopsis kimallynae new genus and species, and Pontoniopsis paulae, new species, in the Palae-monidae, and Odontozona libertae, new species, in the Stenopodidae. The discovery of new taxa in depths of less than 100 m suggests that the cryptic, coral-associated decapod crustacean fauna may be richer than previously suspected. The decapod crustacean fauna of the Florida Keys has long been recog-nised as being both speciose and numerous. Although no comprehensive specific inventory has ever been conducted, the fauna is considered rela-tively well known as a result of several regional and monographic studies (e.g. Rathbun's monographs on brachyurans), which included species whose ranges extended either to, or north-or southward through the Florida Keys. As might be expected, the intertidal and shallow subtidal decapods are rel-atively better known than their deeper-living counterparts, because of the various logistical problems encountered in sampling deep, rocky or reeflike areas using either conventional surface-towed gear, or SCUBA. In June 1979 a geophysical and biological survey of deep-water coral reefs off Key Largo, Florida was conducted by the Office of Coastal Zone Man-agement for NOAA, using a manned research submersible. Among the 55 specimens of decapod crustaceans collected were 2 new genera and 4 new species. Included in the new taxa was a remarkable new genus of axiid shrimp, described elsewhere (Kensley and Gore, 1980), an unusual new genus of palaemonid shrimp, as well as the first western hemispheric record for the rare Indo-West Pacific genus Pontoniopsis (Palaemonidae), and the second western hemispheric record for the stenopodid shrimp genus Odon-tozona. Other notable range extensions included the first western hemi-spheric record for the alpheid shrimp Alpheopsis trispinosus (Stimpson), and the first continental United States record for the pagurid crab genus
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