Distinct suites of pre- and post-adaptations indicate independent evolutionary pathways of snapping claws in the shrimp family Alpheidae (Decapoda: Caridea)

One of the most notable evolutionary innovations of marine invertebrates is the snapping claw of alpheid shrimps (Alpheidae), capable of generating a powerful water jet and a shock wave, used for defense, aggression, excavation, and communication. Evolutionary analysis of this character complex requires the study of a suite of complementary traits to discern pre-adaptations or post-adaptations of snapping behavior. A comprehensive phylogenetic analysis of the Alpheidae based on two mitochondrial and four nuclear markers, covering 107 species from 38 genera (77.6% generic coverage), is presented. Ancestral state reconstruction analyses revealed five independent origins of snapping, two of which relate to the morphologically similar but phylogenetically distant genera Alpheus and Synalpheus, highlighting significant convergence. The evolution of the five complementary traits (adhesive plaques, tooth-cavity system, dactylar joint type, chela size enlargement, and orbital hood) did not always show a significant correlation with the evolution of snapping overall, sometimes only in a few lineages, suggesting different evolutionary pathways were involved and demonstrating the versatility in the evolution of the snapping mechanisms.

Automated summary

The study found that the snapping claw mechanism of alpheid shrimps has five independent origins, with significant convergence between morphologically similar but phylogenetically distant genera Alpheus and Synalpheus. The evolution of the five complementary traits did not always correlate with the overall evolution of snapping, indicating different evolutionary pathways were involved and demonstrating versatility in snapping mechanism evolution.