Leptochela

Leptochela is a genus of small shrimp from the family Pasiphaeidae. They are found in the Indo-Pacific region and the western Atlantic with an isolated species in Hawaii, they are absent from the eastern Atlantic Ocean and were absent from the eastern Pacific but specimens of a species widespread in the western Atlantic were collected from waters to the south of the tip of Baja California. Two species, Leptochela aculeocaudata and Leptochela pugnax have invaded the eastern Mediterranean from the Red Sea through the Suez Canal and are thus classified as Lessepsian migrants.

Species
The genus is split into two subgenera Leptochela and Proboloura and contains 15 currently recognised extant species.


 * Leptochela (Leptochela) aculeocaudata Paul'son, 1875
 * Leptochela (Leptochela) bermudensis Gurney, 1939
 * Leptochela (Leptochela) chacei Hayashi, 1995
 * Leptochela (Leptochela) crosnieri Hayashi, 1995
 * Leptochela (Leptochela) gracilis Stimpson, 1860
 * Leptochela (Leptochela) hawaiiensis Chace, 1976
 * Leptochela (Leptochela) irrobusta Chace, 1976
 * Leptochela (Leptochela) japonica Hayashi & Miyake, 1969
 * Leptochela (Leptochela) papulata Chace, 1976
 * Leptochela (Leptochela) pugnax de Man, 1916
 * Leptochela (Leptochela) robusta Stimpson, 1860
 * Leptochela (Leptochela) serratorbita Spence Bate, 1888
 * Leptochela (Leptochela) sydniensis Dakin & Colefax, 1940
 * Leptochela (Proboloura) carinata Ortmann, 1893
 * Leptochela (Proboloura) soelae Hanamura, 1987