Range Extensions and Review of the Caprellid Amphipods (Crustacea: Amphipoda: Caprellidae) from the Shallow, Coastal Waters from the Suwanee River, Florida, to Port Aransas, Texas, with an Illustrated Key

Eight species of the amphipod family Caprellidae sensu Myers and Lowry, 2003 are cur- rently known to occur in the shallow, near shore waters of the northern Gulf of Mexico (GOM), from the Suwannee River, Florida, to Port Aransas, Texas, and to depths of 10 m. They include: Phtisica mari- na, Hemiaegina minuta, Paracaprella pusilla, Paracaprella tenuis, Deutella incerta, Caprella equilibra, Caprella penantis, and Caprella scaura. Another species, Caprella andreae, is also suspected to occur in this region due to its close association with sea turtles, which nest on the sand beaches of the northern GOM. The occurrence of these 9 species in the northern GOM is discussed; known distributions, new records, synonymies, diagnoses, and remarks on life history and ecology are also presented. In addition, new northern GOM records for 7 of these species are provided along with a simplified identification key.