Abstract

SALGADO-BARRAGAN, José  and  HENDRICKX, Michel E.. An illustrated key to the identification of eastern Pacific stomatopods (Crustacea: Hoplocarida). Rev. Mex. Biodiv. [online]. 2010, vol.81, suppl., pp.1-49. ISSN 2007-8706.

The 53 species and subspecies of stomatopods known to date for the eastern Pacific belong to 5 superfamilies, 11 families and 22 genera. Several species are known only from the original description, including only one or a few specimens. In these cases, the lack of voucher specimens to complete the study of other species and the absence of samples from throughout the range of each species, which will allow to have a general idea of their distribution along the Pacific, have made their study complicated. Consequently, correct identifications of specimens are not always achieved. An illustrated key to superfamilies, families, genera and species of all species recorded for the American Pacific is presented, with the objective of facilitating species identification to increase the amount of reliable information available on the group in the region.

Keywords : illustrated key; stomatopods; eastern Pacific.