Key:  Family Hippolytidae (Broken-back Shrimp)

Taken primarily from  Kozloff, 1987, 1996 p. 398 (Copyright 1987, 1996, University of Washington Press.  Used in this web page by permission of University of Washington Press)

Here are several related species, from off Kamchatka in the Sea of Okhotsk, NW Pacific:
  Lebbeus longidactylus
  Spirontocaris spina intermedia
 

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1a	Carpus of leg 2 consisting of 7 articles	2
1b	Carpus of leg 2 consisting of 3 articles (photo) (See note here re Hippolyte californiensis)	Hippolyte clarki
2a	Supraorbital spines present	30
2b	Supraorbital spines absent	3
3a	Maxilliped 3 with an exopodite	21
3b	Maxilliped 3 without an exopodite	4
4a	Dactyls of legs 3-5 with bifid tips (photo)	6
4b	Dactyls of legs 3-5 with simple tips	5
5a
5b
6a	Rostrum short, not reaching beyond article 1 of antenna 1	7
6b	Rostrum reaching to or beyond article 2 of antenna 1	9
7a	Rostrum reaching to or beyond the cornea of the eye	8
7b	Rostrum strongly downcurved, not reaching the cornea (This is a southern species which probably does not occur near Rosario)	Heptacarpus taylori
8a	Leg 3 with an epipodite; distal portion of article 1 of antenna 1 with 3-5 small dorsal spines	Heptacarpus brevirostris
8b	Leg 3 without an epipodite; distal portion of article 1 of antenna 1 with a single dorsal spine	Heptacarpus pugettensis
9a	Pterygostomian spine absent	10
9b	Pterygostomian spine present (photo)	11
10a
10b
11a	Pleuron of abdominal segment 4 with a ventral spine (photo)	12
11b	Pleuron of abdominal segment 4 without a ventral spine	15
12a	Leg 2 with an epipodite (but see notes at Heptacarpus sitchensis)	13
12b	Leg 2 without an epipodite (but see notes at Heptacarpus sitchensis)	14
13a	Length of the rostrum about equal to that of the rest of the carapace and reaching the end of the scale of antenna 2 (but see notes at Heptacarpus sitchensis)	Heptacarpus paludicola
13b	Length of the rostrum shorter than that of the rest of the carapace and not reaching the end of the scale of antenna 2 (but see notes at Heptacarpus sitchensis)	Heptacarpus picta
14a	Maxilliped 3 reaching beyond the scale of antenna 2 by about half the length of its distal article	Heptacarpus moseri
14b	Maxilliped 3, at most, barely reaching beyond the scale of antenna 2 (photo)	Heptacarpus sitchensis
15a
15b
16a
16b
17a
17b
18a
18b
19a
19b
20a
20b
21a
21b
22a
22b
23a
23b
24a
24b
25a
25b
26a
26b
27a
27b
28a
28b
29a
29b
30a	Maxilliped 3 with an exopodite; with 2 or more supraorbital spines	31
30b	Maxilliped 3 without an exopodite; with only 1 supraorbital spine	39
31a	Dorsal carapace spines with spiny anterior margins	Spirontocaris prionota
31b	Dorsal carapace spines without spiny anterior margins	32
32a	Leg 3 without an epipodite	33
32b	Leg 3 with an epipodite	35
33a	Pleuron of abdominal segment 4 with a ventral spine	Spirontocaris snyderi
33b	Pleuron of abdominal segment 4 without a spine	34
34a
34b
35a	Dactyls of legs 3-5 with bifid tips	36
35b	Dactyls of legs 3-5 with simple tips	Spirontocaris lamellicornis
36a	Posteriormost carapace spine near the middle of the carapace	37
36b	Posteriormost carapace spine on the posterior third of the carapace	38
37a
37b
38a	Pleura of abdominal segments 1-3 with broadly rounded ventral margins	Spirontocaris arcuata
38b	Pleura of abdominal segments 1-3 with pointed ventral margins	smaller specimens of  Spirontocaris lamellicornis
39a	Rostrum longer than the eye (projects past the eye)	40
39b	Rostrum shorter than the eye	Lebbeus sp.
40a	Pleura of abdominal segments 2 and 3 terminating in sharp points	Lebbeus groenlandicus
40b	Pleura of abdominal segments 2 and 3 rounded	41
41a	Leg 3 with an epipodite	42
41b	Leg 3 without an epipodite (live specimens with purple, yellow, and red bands)	Lebbeus grandimanus
42a
42b

  Heptacarpus brevirostris
  Heptacarpus sitchensis
  Hippolyte clarki
  Lebbeus grandimanus
  Lebbeus groenlandicus
  Spirontocaris lamellicornis