Holthuis, 1991

Diagnosis:
The rostrum is a low blunt angle in the median part of the anterior margin of the carapace, being overreached by the eyes with practically their full length. The eyes are triangular with a blunt top. The antennal angles are low, rounded, without tooth. Antennular peduncle only slightly longer than antennal peduncle.
Third maxilliped with ischium and merus strongly widened to form a kind of operculum; the distal three segments much narrower, each about twice as long as wide. Large chelain adult male with a small concavity above the base of the fixed finger. Carpus slightly shorter than palm, about as high as long. Lower margin of merus with a broad forward directed hook-shaped process, which ends in a triangular top.
Telson about as long as wide, gradually narrowing posteriorly: the convex lateral margins merge evenly with the posterior margin. Each posterolateral angle bears two very small denticles, no median denticle present. Endopod of uropod broadly oval, slightly longer than telson.

Type:
Type locality (for C. affinis and thus also for C. biffari): "Point Loma, Calif." ( = Point Loma near San Diego, southern California, USA). Lectotype male in USNM, no. 86810; 2 paralectotypes, probably lost.

Geographical Distribution:
Eastern Pacific region: Santa Monica Bay (California, USA) to San Quintin Bay (N.W Baja California, Mexico).

Habitat and Biology:
On open beaches with a rocky boulder-covered shore (Frey, 1971: 9). The species thus has a preference for a different habitat from those chosen by C. californiensis and C. gigas (see there). The species constructs rather complicated burrows in the soft sandy substratum.

Size:
Total body length 2.5 to 6 cm.

Interest to Fisheries:
In California the species is used as bait together with C. californiensis and C. gigas, and in the accounts of the bait fishery the threeare usually treated together. C californiensis is the most important of the three (see there for further details). The burrows of C. biffari are often among rocks, which first have to be removed before digging can start.

Kingdom Animalia
Phylum Arthropoda
Class Crustacea
Order Decapoda
Suborder Macrura Reptantia
Family Callianassidae
Genus Callianassa
Species Callianassa biffari

Status in World Register of Marine Species

Not included in WoRMS database

Scientific synonyms and common names

Callianassa biffari Holthuis, 1991

Synonyms:
Callianassa biffari nom. nov., FAO species catalogue, vol. 13, Marine Lobsters of the World: 242
Callianassa biffari new name for Callianassa affinis Holmes, 1900, Occasional Papers California Academy Sciences, 7:162 (a junior primary homonym of Callianassa affinis A. Milne Edwards, 1860, Annales Sciences Naturelles, Paris, (Zool.) (4)14:188).
Biffar (unpubl. Ph.D. thesis, 1972, University of Miami) pointed out that the well known name Callianassa affinis Holmes, 1900 for a species from California is a junior primary homonym of Callianassa affinis A. Milne Edwards, 1860, for a fossil species from the Lutetian of Central France (Parnes). Biffar indicated the species as "Callianassa sp. A, new name". So far as was known to Holthuis (1991) no subsequent author has proposed a replacement name for the species (most continued to use the name affinis for it).

FAO Names:
Beach ghost shrimp [English]

Local Names:
USA: Beach ghost shrimp, Ghost shrimp (California)

Biffar, T.A., unpublished. A study on Eastern Pacific representatives of the genus Callianassa (Crustacea, Decapoda, Callianassidae). Ph.D. Thesis, 1972, University of Miami, Florida, USA

Frey, H.W., 1971. California's living marine resources and their utilization:1-148, figs

Haig, J. and D.P. Abbott, 1980. Macrura and Anomura: The Ghost Shrimps, Hermit Crabs and allies In: R.H. Morris, D.P. Abbott and E.C. Haderlie (eds), Intertidal invertebrates of California, 577-593, figs 24.1-21 and unnumbered figs

Holmes, S.J., 1900. Synopsis of California Stalk-Eyed Crustacea. Occasional Papers of the California Academy of Sciences, 7: 1-262, fig. 1, pls. 1-4.

Holthuis, L.B., 1991. FAO Species Catalogue. Vol. 13. Marine Lobsters of the World. An annotated and illustrated catalogue of species of interest to fisheries known to date. FAO Fisheries Synopsis. No. 125, Vol. 13. Rome, FAO. 1991. 292 p.

Milne Edwards, A., 1860. Monographie des Décapodes macrures fossiles de la famille des Thalassiniens. Annales Sciences Naturelles, Paris, (Zool.) (4)14: 294-357, pls. 11-16.

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