FISHERIES RESEARCH INSTITUTE,MOA,TAIWAN

In the present study, eight species of Sergestes (Decapoda: Sergestidae) are identified based upon a series of collections made by the Fisheries Research Institute, Council of Agriculture from waters adjacent to Taiwan between 1994 and 2001. These included Sergestes armatus; S. atlanticus H. Milne-Edwards, 1830; S. orientalis Hansen, 1919; S. pectinatus Sund, 1920; S. sagassi Ortmann, 1893; S. seminudus Hansen, 1919; S. similis Hansen, 1903; and S. formosus Lee, Wu, Shih & Liao, 2003. All these are new to the Taiwan fauna. The species were taken both in the daytime and at night using various devices in the Taiwan Strait and in the open sea off eastern Taiwan, at depths ranging from the surface to 1000 m. This genus is characterized by the presence of specialized luminescent modification of the gastrohepatic gland, i.e., the organs of Pesta. In different species of the genus, the organs of Pesta differ not only in number but also in shape and location. A key to the eight species is given, and color photographs of some species are also attached. Besides the luminescent organs, other morphological characteristics of each species are given and illustrated.