JOURNAL OF NATURAL HISTORY, 2004, 38, 2315–2329 Shallow-water Mysida (Crustacea: Mysidacea) of Bahrain (Arabian Gulf): species composition, abundance and life history characteristics of selected species STEPHEN A. GRABE{, W. WAYNE PRICE{, EBRAHIM A. A. ABDULQADER§ and RICHARD W. HEARD, JR* {Environmental Protection Commission of Hillsborough County, 1410 21st Street N, Tampa, FL 33605, USA {Department of Biology, University of Tampa, Tampa, FL 33606, USA §State of Bahrain, Bahrain Center for Studies and Research, POB 496, Bahrain }Department of Coastal Sciences, College of Marine Sciences, The University of Southern Mississippi, 703 East Beach Drive, Ocean Springs, MS 39 564, USA (Accepted 22 August 2003) Mysida were collected from Tubli Bay and the eastern coastline of Bahrain during 1991–1992 incidental to a survey of penaeid prawns. These samples provided an opportunity to assess the species composition of mysids from a nearshore region of the Arabian Gulf—an area in which mysid fauna is poorly known. The 114 beam trawl samples yielded w29 000 mysids. Rhopalophthalmus sp. (w90%), Siriella brevicaudata (5%), Kainomatomysis foxi (1.2%), Siriella sp. A (0.9%) and Indomysis annandalei (0.6%) were the most abundant of 11 species identified. Basic life history variables (carapace length, life stage, brood size) were measured for these five taxa. KEYWORDS: Mysida, Bahrain, Arabian Gulf, Rhopalophthalmus, Siriella, Kainomatomysis, Indomysis. Introduction Mysida are important to the economy of coastal waters as carnivores, planktivores, carrion feeders and detritivores, as well as prey (Mauchline, 1980). Their role in the ecology of the Arabian Gulf is, however, poorly known. For example, investigations of the feeding habits of Arabian Gulf fishes have not identified mysids as important prey (Hussain and Abdullah, 1977; Wright, 1988; Ali et al., 1993). Yet, in other coastal/estuarine ecosystems, mysids are often key dietary Journal of Natural History ISSN 0022-2933 print/ISSN 1464-5262 online # 2004 Taylor & Francis Ltd http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals DOI: 10.1080/00222930310001625932 2316 S. A. Grabe et al. components of fishes (Hobson and Chess, 1976; Hacunda, 1981; Hoostens and Mees, 1999) and may also constitute important prey for birds (Mauchline, 1980). Published data on the composition and ecology of Arabian Gulf Mysida are notably lacking. Murano (1998) has recently reported on the occurrence of six species from Saudi Arabian waters and Grabe (1989) described some aspects of the life history of a species of Rhopalophthalmus from the Khor Al Sabiya, Kuwait. There is, however, a considerable body of descriptive literature covering Indian Shallow-water Mysida of Bahrain 2317 Ocean mysids (e.g. Tattersall, 1922; Pillai, 1964, 1965, 1973) as well as reports of distributional records from Pakistan (Arabian Sea) (Kazmi et al., 1992, 1999; Nayeem et al., 1992; Kazmi and Tirmizi, 1995). Bahrain’s Directorate of Fisheries and Marine Resources undertook an investigation of the biology and distribution of commercially valuable penaeid prawns in near-shore waters of Bahrain during 1991–1992 (Abdulqader, 1999). These collections provided an opportunity to investigate the composition of the mysid assemblage and to obtain basic life history information on selected species. FIG. 1. Location of sampling stations for Mysida in Bahrain waters, May 1991 to May 1992. (a) Tubli Bay stations; (b) Asker stations. 2318 S. A. Grabe et al. Materials and methods Beam trawl (1.3 m width; 1.0 mm mesh) samples were collected at four stations in Tubli Bay (figure 1a; table 1) on a biweekly basis during May 1991 to May 1992. Additional samples were collected at 12 stations along the eastern coast of Bahrain (Asker sites) during September to November 1991 (figure 1b; table 1). The trawl was deployed during daytime hours and low tides, and towed for 10 min at approximately 4.1 km h21; the mean sampling area was estimated to be 848 m2. Surface water temperature and salinity were measured with a precision underwater thermometer (Kahlisio model 36AM340) and a refractometer (range 0–100 ppt). Samples were initially preserved in a borax-buffered 10% seawater–formalin solution. In 1995 they were transferred to a 70% isopropanol solution. All mysids were sorted from the samples, identified to the lowest practicable taxon and enumerated by life stage (male, female, larvigerous female and juvenile). Carapace lengths (CL) of larvigerous females were measured with a calibrated ocular micrometer. The numbers of larvae were counted from females with undisturbed marsupia. Table Curve 2D (Systat Software Inc., 2002) was used to determine the association between brood size and carapace length for selected species. Only ‘simple’ (linear, power or exponential) curves were produced and those with the highest r2 were chosen. Mean densities (numbers 1000 per m2) of adult mysids were calculated by month for each study area (Tubli Bay and the Asker sites). A 1.0 mm mesh probably underestimates the density of juvenile mysids; therefore, the distribution of juveniles cannot be assessed and cohort analysis was not undertaken. Results and discussion Study area Water temperatures in Tubli Bay (generally 0.5 m subsurface) demonstrated a seasonal cycle, with maximum temperatures during August and September and minimum temperatures during January and February (figure 2). During part of this study period, smoke from the burning oil wells in Kuwait affected the atmosphere in the vicinity of Bahrain. Smoke was most evident from March to September 1991, with the peak during July and August (Shaw, 1992). Coinciding with this period, there was a slight reduction in average daily sunshine during April to October 1991, compared to the same period during 1990, 1992 and 1993. Abdulaqader (1995) reported slight reductions in air and water temperatures during May to September 1991. Salinities showed considerably less variation, with monthly means between 40 and 44 ppt (figure 2). During October 1990, a single sediment sample was collected in the southern portion of Tubli Bay for grain size analysis. This sample had a mean grain size of 62.06 mm and a siltzclay fraction of 51.5%. Green algae (mainly Enteromorpha sp.) flourished in the intertidal areas, especially during February to May. Brown algae (e.g. Padina sp., Colpomenia sp., Hormophysa sp. and Sargassum sp.) flourished in deeper portions of the bay. Samples were collected at the Asker sites during September, October and November 1991; sample depths ranged from 1.0 to 3.3 m (table 1). Temperature and salinity data were only available for September and October. Mean temperature Shallow-water Mysida of Bahrain Table 1. 2319 Locations of sampling stations and depths (at mean low water) in Bahrain waters, May 1991 to May 1992. Station Tubli 1 Tubli 2 Tubli 3 Tubli 4 Asker 1 (Mishtan) Asker 2 (West Tighaleb) Asker 3 (East Tighaleb) Asker 4 (Jabarri) Asker 5 (Ras Al Qurain) Asker 6 (Ras Abu Jarjoor) Asker 7 (Jaw) Asker 9 (Al Shaykh) Asker 10 (Alba) Asker 11 (Pump House) Asker 12 (Umm Jalid) Depth (m) Latitude (N) Longitude (E) 0.5 0.5 0.5 0.5 1.5 2.0 3.3 3.0 1.5 1.5 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.5 26‡10.183’ 26‡10.169’ 26‡10.154’ 26‡09.179’ 25‡53.816’ 25‡53.894’ 25‡53.889’ 25‡52.884’ 25‡57.935’ 26‡04.087’ 26‡00.007’ 26‡03.050’ 26‡05.092’ 26‡06.106’ 26‡01.027’ 50‡34.569’ 50‡34.580’ 50‡34.599’ 50‡34.591’ 50‡43.684’ 50‡42.698’ 50‡43.704’ 50‡37.648’ 50‡38.618’ 50‡37.616’ 50‡37.625’ 50‡37.632’ 50‡37.620’ 50‡37.625’ 50‡43.722’ and salinity were 31.5‡C and 42 ppt during September and 27.7‡C and 44.8 ppt during October. The location of the Fasht Al-Adhom (figure 1a), perpendicular to the prevailing tidal currents, contributed to a tidal delay and reduction in current speeds to the south. A consequence is that seagrass beds are more extensive south of Fasht Al-Adhom. Halodule uninervis (Forsk.) Aschers is the most common of the three seagrass species found in Bahrain waters (IUCN/ROPME/UNEP, 1985). Seagrass beds were densest at Asker stations 2 and 3 and less dense at stations 5, 7, 8 and 9. FIG. 2. Mean (standard error) monthly surface salinity and temperature in Tubli Bay, Bahrain, May 1991 to April 1992. 2320 S. A. Grabe et al. Table 2. Rank 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Abundance, by study area, and percentage composition of Mysida from Bahrain waters, May 1991 to May 1992. Species Tubli Bay N (%) Asker N (%) Total N (%) Rhopalophthalmus sp. 26 229 (94.2) 939 (58.7) 27 168 (92.2) Siriella brevicaudata Paulson, 1875 1 074 (3.9) 385 (24.1) 1 459 (5.0) Kainomatomysis foxi Tattersall, 1927 336 (1.2) 14 (0.8) 350 (1.2) Siriella sp. A 42 (0.2) 213 (13.3) 255 (0.9) Indomysis annandalei Tattersall, 1914 157 (0.6) 4 (0.2) 161 (0.6) Haplostylus bengalensis (Hansen, 1910) 1 (v0.1) 28 (1.7) 29 (0.1) Mysidopsis kempi Tattersall, 1922 8 (v0.1) 8 (0.5) 16 (v0.1) Siriella sp. C 1 (v0.1) 8 (0.5) 9 (v0.1) Lycomysis platycauda Pillai, 1961 3 (v0.1) 0 (0.0) 3 (v0.1) Siriella ?affinis Hansen, 1910 1 (v0.1) 2 (v0.1) 3 (v0.1) Erythrops minuta Hansen, 1910 1 (v0.1) 0 (0.0) 1 (v0.1) Total 27 853 1 600 29 453 Abundance and composition More than 29 000 mysids, representing at least 11 species, were collected from the 86 Tubli Bay samples and 28 Asker area samples (table 2). This brings to at least 23 the number of taxa reported to date from the Arabian Gulf (table 3). Numerical dominants included an undescribed species of Rhopalophthalmus (92%), Siriella brevicaudata Paulson, 1875 (5%), Kainomatomysis foxi Tattersall, 1927 (1.2%), Siriella sp. A (0.9%) and Indomysis annandalei Tattersall, 1914 (0.6%). Differences exist in the relative species composition between the two major sampling areas. At the Asker sites Siriella sp. A, S. brevicaudata and especially Haplostylus bengalensis (Hansen, 1910) comprised greater proportions of the assemblage. Indomysis annandalei was relatively more abundant at the Tubli sites (table 2). Individual species accounts The overwhelming numerical dominant in these samples, particularly in Tubli Bay, is an undescribed species of Rhopalophthalmus (table 2). This species is morphologically similar to R. tattersallae Pillai, 1961, a species reported from the south-western coast of India (Pillai, 1965), but differs from it in the following ways. Although both species have two pairs of long, robust apical telson spines, in our material, the spines are equal in length or the inner pair is slightly shorter than the outer, and all spines are armed with sharp subsidiary teeth (figure 3A, B). The apical spines of R. tattersallae have ‘fairly broad’ subsidiary teeth and the inner pair is slightly longer than the outer pair. Both species have four spines on the inner distal corner of the anternnal sympod, but spine 3 lacks barbs in the present species and is barbed in R. tattersallae. The carpo-propodus of endopods of thoracic limbs 3–7 of R. tattersallae is four-articulated, but varies from four to seven articles in the Bahrain material. One of us (W.W.P.) re-examined specimens from the Khor al Sabiya, Kuwait reported to be R. tattersallae Pillai, 1961 (Grabe, 1989) and found them to exhibit the same characteristics as the Bahrain material. An unsuccessful effort was made to locate and examine type material of R. tattersallae. Rhopalophthalmus sp. was most abundant during July and was virtually absent Shallow-water Mysida of Bahrain Table 3. 2321 Inventory of Mysida species reported to occur in the Arabian Gulf. Species SIRIELLINAE Siriella brevicaudata Paulson, 1875 Siriella ?affinis Hansen, 1910 Siriella hanseni Tattersall, 1922 Siriella inornata Hansen, 1910 Siriella ?vulgaris Hansen, 1910 Siriella sp. A Siriella sp. C RHOPALOPTHALMINAE Rhopalophthalmus sp. GASTROSACCINAE Gastrosaccus kempi Tattersall, 1922 Haplostylus bengalensis (Hansen, 1910) Haplostylus parerythraeus (Nouvel, 1944) MYSINAE ?Dioptromysis sp. Erythrops minuta Hansen, 1910 Erythrops sp. E. Pillai, 1965 Erythrops sp. 2 Erythrops sp. ?Hypererythrops sp. Indomysis annandalei Tattersall, 1914 Kainomatomysis foxi Tattersall, 1927 Lycomysis platycauda Pillai, 1961 Mysidopsis kempi Tattersall, 1922 Mysidopsis sp(p). ?Proneomysis sp. ?Potatomysis sp. HETEROMYSINAE Heteromysis proxima Tattersall, 1922 Kuwait Ruwais, Tarut Bay and Abu Bay, Khoral Dhabi, Saudi ‘Arabian Bahrain{ Sabiya{ UAE§ Arabia} Gulf ’{{ X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X { This study. Grabe, 1989. § Grabe, 1984. } Murano, 1998. {{ US National Museum, Smithsonian Institution (Washington, DC, USA) holdings. { from Tubli Bay during the winter (figure 4a). Tattersall (1957) observed that Rhopalophthalmus spp. are ‘gregarious’ and, where present, Rhopalophthalmus spp. have often been found in considerable numbers (Dakin and Colefax, 1940; Tattersall, 1957; Wooldridge, 1986; Grabe, 1989). Otter trawl collections made in Tubli Bay during March and April 1992 revealed that ‘dense masses’ of mysids were associated with brown algae collected by the trawls (Abdulqader, personal observation). Presumably these were mainly Rhopalophthalmus sp. since this species predominated during March and April 1992. Larvigerous females were collected in all months except the three mid-winter months and during May 1992; they were relatively abundant during July (figure 4a). Carapace lengths (CL) of larvigerous females ranged from 2.25 to 3.64 mm and 2322 S. A. Grabe et al. FIG. 3. Rhopalophthalmus sp. telson (A) and median and lateral apical spines on telson (B); Siriella sp. A uropod and telson (C); Siriella sp. C antennal scale (D) and telson (E). mean CL generally declined from May to November 1991 (figure 5a). Mean numbers of larvae per female generally declined from May to November as well (figure 5b). Numbers of larvae ranged from three to 13, with the mode between four and six (figure 5c, d). Numbers of larvae were positively correlated with CL (figure 5c): Number of larvae~21.44z7.55 (Ln CL)2 (r2146~0.37; Pv0.001). The most noticeable difference between the life history of Rhopalophthalmus sp. from Tubli Bay, Bahrain and those collected from Kuwait Bay (Grabe, 1989) is the reduced brood size for the Bahrain species at comparable sizes. Brooding females of Rhopalophthalmus sp. ranged from 2.25 to 3.64 mm CL and that of the Kuwait population ranged from 1.8 to 3.3 mm CL. Predicted numbers of larvae in the marsupia were 43% and 55% less at 2 mm and 3.5 mm CL, respectively, for the Bahrain species than for the Kuwait population of Rhopalopthalmus sp. McKenney (1996) demonstrated that the numbers of larvae in the marsupium of Americamysis bahia (Molenock, 1969) were affected by temperature and salinity. Salinities in Tubli Bay were at least 4 ppt higher than those in Kuwait Bay, except during the summer months (Dames and Moore, 1983) and summer water temperatures were slightly higher in Tubli Bay. It is possible that the regional differences in temperature and salinity may explain the observed differences in brood size. Monthly male: female ratios ranged from 0.73:1 to infinity, when only males were collected (table 4); the ratio during July, when this species was especially abundant, was 0.76:1. These sex ratios were somewhat lower than was reported for the Kuwait population, where the ratios were closer to 1:1 (Grabe 1989). Shallow-water Mysida of Bahrain FIG. 4. 2323 Mean abundance (Nz1 numbers 1000 m22) of Rhopalophthalmus sp. (a), Siriella brevicaudata (b), Kainomatomysis foxi (c), Indomysis annandalei (d) and Siriella sp. A (e) in Tubli Bay, Bahrain, May 1991 to May 1992. Siriella brevicaudata is a shallow-water (0.5–7 m) species previously reported from the Gulf of Mannar (India) (Tattersall, 1922), the Gulf of Aqaba (Red Sea), the Suez Canal (Tattersall, 1927; Müller, 1993), Madagascar (Ledoyer, 1970) and, most recently, Tarut Bay (Saudi Arabia) (Murano, 1998). This species was collected 2324 FIG. 5. S. A. Grabe et al. Characteristics of brooding Rhopalophthalmus sp. from Bahrain, May 1991 to May 1992. (a) Mean (standard error) carapace length of larvigerous females by month; (b) mean (standard error) numbers of larvae in marsupium by month; (c) association between numbers of larvae and carapace length; (d) frequency distribution of numbers of larvae in marsupium. during all months, although there was no clear seasonal cycle to its abundance (figure 5b). Larvigerous females were collected during most months (figure 5b). There was Table 4. Summary of male: female sex ratios of five species of Mysida collected from Tubli Bay, Bahrain, May 1991 to May 1992. Month May 1991 June July August September October November December January 1992 February March April May Total (ratio) Rhopalophthalmus sp. Siriella brevicaudata Kainomatomysis foxi Siriella sp. A Indomysis annandalei 30:16 22:28 9 354:12 320 125:147 9:4 337:237 438:461 0:1 0:1 2:2 378:524 115:77 0:0 10 810:13 827 (0.78:1) 19:11 21:21 89:122 19:28 45:67 11:22 40:57 23:41 9:4 40:55 52:166 5:9 6:6 352:525 (0.67:1) 1:8 6:7 11:23 9:5 8:15 4:3 9:19 3:1 1:4 45:36 21:38 0:1 4:3 122:163 (0.75:1) 0:1 0:0 8:15 1:0 0:0 2:0 0:1 0:2 0:0 2:5 1:2 0:0 1:0 15:26 (0.58:1) 63:69 2:0 1:3 3:0 1:2 0:0 0:0 1:0 0:2 2:1 0:0 0:0 0:0 73:77 (0.95:1) Shallow-water Mysida of Bahrain FIG. 6. 2325 Characteristics of brooding Siriella brevicaudata from Bahrain, May 1991 to May 1992. (a) Mean (standard error) carapace length of larvigerous females by month; (b) mean (standard error) numbers of larvae in marsupium by month; (c) association between numbers of larvae and carapace length; (d) frequency distribution of numbers of larvae in marsupium. no clear trend in size of larvigerous females over time (figure 6a). The association between numbers of larvae and CL (figure 6c) was not significant, although the sample size was quite small: Numbers of larvae~4.79z0.20043(CL/20.16) (r28~0.17; P~0.24). Male: female ratios ranged from 0.31:1 to 2.26:1 (table 4); the overall ratio was 0.67:1. Kainomatomysis foxi was the third most abundant mysid in Tubli Bay (table 2). This species has only been reported previously from the northern Red Sea (Suez Canal, Port Said, Gulf of Aqaba; Müller, 1993); the reported depth at Port Said was 22 m (Tattersall, 1927). There was no marked seasonality in abundance in Tubli Bay (figure 4c). Brooding females (none with undisturbed marsupia) were found in low numbers during September, November and February. Male: female sex ratios were generally v1 and the overall ratio was 0.75:1 (table 4). Siriella sp. A is morphologically similar to S. hanseni Tattersall, 1922, which Murano (1998) reported from Tarut Bay, Saudi Arabia. Murano’s report of one damaged male from seagrass in Tarut Bay includes an illustration of and remarks about the uropod and telson and closely resembles our material (figure 3C). In a comparison of his specimen with the original description of S. hanseni, Murano attributed differences in telson and uropod morphology to geographic variability. He was unable to examine male pleopods 3 and 4 for the presence of modified setae, an important characteristic used to divide the large and diverse genus Siriella into groups. According to Tattersall’s description, male pleopod 4 of S. hanseni does not have modified setae, placing it in the thompsoni group. However, examination of the Bahrain material reveals modified setae on at least male pleopod 2326 FIG. 7. S. A. Grabe et al. Characteristics of brooding Siriella sp. A from Bahrain, May 1991 to May 1992. (a) Mean (standard error) carapace length of larvigerous females by month; (b) mean (standard error) numbers of larvae in marsupium by month; (c) association between numbers of larvae and carapace numbers of larvae; (d) frequency distribution of numbers of larvae in marsupium. 4. This feature places these specimens in a group other than thompsoni and thus distinguishes Siriella sp. A from S. hanseni. Siriella sp. A densities were generally quite low and no specimens were found in the Tubli Bay samples during four of the 13 months sampled (figure 4d). Larvigerous Siriella sp. A were only collected from Tubli Bay during July and February; brooding females were also collected at the Asker sites during September to November (figure 7). Numbers of larvae ranged from 3 to 15 (figure 7c). The association between numbers of larvae and CL was not significant (Numbers of larvae~5.9z2690[CL226.8]; P~0.97; r2~v0.01) (figure 6c). Siriella sp. A had the lowest overall sex ratio of any of the five numerically dominant species (v0.6:1) (table 4). Indomysis annandalei was described from lower salinity waters near the vicinity of Bombay, India (Tattersall, 1914) and subsequently reported from Karachi, Pakistan in salinities of 37–45 ppt (Kazmi and Tirmizi, 1995) and Tarut Bay, Saudi Arabia (Murano, 1998). To date, I. annandalei remains the only species in the genus. Indomysis annandalei reached maximum density in Tubli Bay during May 1991 and was rare or absent thereafter (figure 4d). Whether its absence from the study area during spring and fall months is indicative of migration, aggregation (Kazmi and Tirmizi, 1995) or is merely an artifact of the programme design or sampling gear is unknown. Larvigerous females were collected from Tubli Bay during May 1991 and all had disturbed marsupia. The dearth of specimens precluded any assessment of seasonality, although at Karachi, Pakistan larvigerous females were only found Shallow-water Mysida of Bahrain 2327 during January and February (Kazmi and Tirmizi, 1995). No evaluation on brood sizes could be made because the marsupia were disturbed. Kazmi and Tirmizi (1995) reported brood sizes of 16–20. The overall sex ratio was close to 1:1 (table 4). Murano (1998) noted several morphological differences between his Saudi Arabian material and Tattersall’s original description. Examination of our specimens and the type material of Indomysis annandalei provided agreement with Murano’s observations. Most importantly, the antennal scale of this species has a distal suture; the uropodal endopod is armed with one spine just distal to the statocyst; and the exopod of male pleopod 4 lacks an articulation. A small number (29) of Haplostylus bengalensis (Hansen, 1910) were collected, almost wholly from the Asker sites (table 2). Haplostylus bengalensis is a shallowwater (to 4 m depth) species previously reported from a variety of locations in the Indo-Pacific, ranging from Bay of Bengal through to Malaysia, the South China Sea and northern Australia (Müller, 1993). Less than 10 specimens of Siriella sp. C were collected during the study. This material is morphologically similar to S. vulgaris Hansen, 1910, a species widely distributed in shallow waters of the western Pacific and Indian Oceans (Tattersall, 1951), but differs with respect to the antennal scale, uropodal exopod and telson. The antennal scale of Siriella sp. C does not narrow distinctly on the distal end; the distal article is about half as long as wide and the distolateral tooth extends beyond the suture (figure 3C). In contrast, the antennal scale of S. vulgaris narrows distally; the distal article is at least two-thirds as long as wide, and the distolateral tooth is well behind the suture. Siriella sp. C has four to eight spines on the distal half of the outer margin of the proximal article of the uropodal exopod. Siriella vulgaris has three to nine spines limited to the distal one-third of the outer margin. The lateral margins of the telson of the Bahrain material have three pairs of spines near the base (figure 3D) rather than two for S. vulgaris. Siriella aequiremis Hansen, 1910, an oceanic species common in the tropical waters of the Pacific and Indian Oceans (Tattersall, 1951), is also similar to Siriella sp. C, but the spines on the lateral margins of its telson are closely set and arranged in series, each with a large spine followed by one to three small ones. Other taxa which were collected in low numbers included Siriella ?affinis Hansen 1910, Mysidopsis kempi Tattersall, 1922, Lycomysis platycauda Pillai, 1961 and Erythrops minuta Hansen, 1910. Given the apparent paucity of sampling directed towards larger zooplankton (e.g. retained by w0.505-mm mesh nets; Dames and Moore, 1983; Grabe, 1984) and demersal zooplankton, particularly nighttime sampling (e.g. Grabe, 1984), it seems likely that the inventory of Mysida species in Arabian Gulf waters will most certainly be expanded with additional sampling. Müller (1993) lists at least 23 genera and 58 species reported from near-shore waters between Pakistan and India; it is not unreasonable to expect many of these species to occur in the Arabian Gulf as well. Acknowledgements Appreciation is extended to those members of the field and laboratory staff of Bahrain’s Directorate of Fisheries and Marine Resources, especially Mr Jaffar Ahmed Mansoor and Mr Hashim Sulman who conducted the field operations and the preliminary sorting of the samples. We also thank the Director, Mr Jassim Al-Qaseer, for permission to analyse and publish the results of this study. Miranda 2328 S. A. 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