New species of pinnotherid crabs from Southeast Asia and Papua New Guinea (Crustacea: Decapoda: Brachyura)
Author
Ahyong, Shane T.
Australian Museum Research Institute, Australian Museum, 1 William Street, Sydney NSW 2010, Australia, and School of Biological, Earth & Environmental Sciences, University of New South Wales, NSW 2052, Australia.
Author
Ng, Peter K. L.
Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum, Faculty of Science, National University of Singapore, 2 Conservatory Drive, Singapore 117377, Republic of Singapore. peterng @ nus. edu. sg; https: // orcid. org / 0000 - 0001 - 5946 - 0608
text
Zootaxa
2020
2020-07-17
4816
3
333
349
journal article
21443
10.11646/zootaxa.4816.3.4
8de569a5-ae44-4994-8313-57163e9a4514
1175-5326
3954447
FA112B5F-E75E-4E6F-8E4C-E0D87674FCCA
Buergeres choprai
sp. nov.
(
Figs. 3
,
4
)
Type material
.
HOLOTYPE
:
MNHN
IU-2013-1307
, spent female (cl
3.6 mm
, cw 4.0 mm), west of
Tab Island
,
Papua New Guinea
,
1–17 m
, from
Holothuria
(
Actinopyga
)
echinites
,
PAPUA NIUGINI
PR118
,
28 November 2012
.
FIGURE 3.
Buergeres choprai
sp. nov.
, spent female holotype, cl 3.6 mm, cw 4.0 mm, MNHN IU-2013-1307: A, dorsal habitus; B, right maxilliped 3; C, anterior cephalothorax; D, anterior thoracic sternum; E, right chela; F–I, right P2–5. Scales: A = 2.0 mm; B = 0.5 mm; C–I = 1.0 mm.
Description
. FEMALE: Carapace rounded-subquadrate, high, vaulted, slightly wider than long, widest near midlength. Front weakly produced, anterior margin weakly concave in dorsal view. Anterolateral margins poorly defined. Dorsum smooth, glabrous, outline of cardiac region weakly indicated by faint, shallow groove; anterior median groove absent; dorsal midline convex in profile. Epistome with narrow triangular interantennular septum; median buccal margin with acute, triangular median point. Antennular sinus of slightly larger than orbit; antennules folded slightly obliquely. Antennal articles 1 and 2 fused to epistome. Eyes partially visible in dorsal view, filling orbit, cornea pigmented.
Maxilliped 3 ischiomerus length 1.7× width; inner proximal margin convex; inner margin with blunt, obtuse angle slightly distal to midlength, margin on either side weakly concave; outer margin strongly convex. Carpus half propodus length. Propodus spatulate, gently tapering in distal half, apex rounded, dorsally and distally setose, length less than twice dactylus length. Dactylus sub-clavate, widest distal to midlength, apex rounded, distally setose, inserted slightly proximal to propodal midlength, apex almost reaching end of propodus. Exopod inner margin straight, outer margin convex; flagellum with 2 articles, distally setose.
FIGURE 4.
Buergeres choprai
sp. nov.
, spent female holotype, cl 3.6 mm, cw 4.0 mm, MNHN IU-2013-1307: dorsal habitus. Photo: T.-Y. Chan.
Chelipeds symmetrical from left to right. Dactylus and pollex relatively straight, crossing distally, without gape. Dactylus dorsal margin convex, smooth, proximally setose; occlusal margin with blunt triangular tooth proximal to midlength, gently sinuous margin in distal half, sparsely setose, minutely denticulate. Pollex occlusal margin with blunt triangular tooth and 2 rounded lobes proximally, remaining margin crenulate, gently curved, sparsely setose, minutely denticulate along distal half; with fringe of setae on inner ventral margin extending onto inner palm surface. Propodus palm outer surface smooth, glabrous; dorsomesial surface with scattered setae proximally; dorsal margin 1.4× height, 1.1× length of dactylus; ventral margin sinuous. Carpus unarmed, inner margin setose.
Pereopods 2–5 (walking legs 1–4) symmetrical from left to right, unarmed; relative lengths in decreasing order: P2
=
P3
>
P4
>
P5. P3 merus length 0.4× pcl. P2–4 similar; merus extensor margin broadly convex, extensor and flexor margins setose proximally; carpus glabrous; dactylus and propodus flexor margins setose; dactyli subequal, stout, falcate, evenly arcuate, distally spiniform, length 0.4× propodus length; basis anterior surface smooth, not granulate. P5 merus tapering distally, distinctly shorter than P2–4 merus, extensor and flexor margins margins straight, setose; propodus margins parallel, flexor margin setose; dactylus slender, weakly curved, almost straight, flexor margin setose but unarmed, 0.8× propodus, twice length of P2–4 dactyli.
Thoracic sternum anterior margin shallowly biconcave medially; sternites 1–3 indistinguishably fused.
Pleon of 6 free somites and telson, extending to buccal region, covering bases of walking legs.
Host
.
Holothuria
(
Actinopyga
)
echinites
(Jaeger, 1833) (Holothuriidae)
.
Etymology
. Name for B. Chopra, who discovered the
B. deccanensis
and for his major contributions to Indian Ocean carcinology.
Remarks
.
Buergeres choprai
sp. nov.
is the fourth recognised species of the genus, alongside
B. ortmanni
(
Bürger, 1895
)
(
type
species) (
Singapore
and the
Philippines
),
B. deccanensis
(Chopra, 1931)
(eastern
India
) and
B. holothuriae
(Semper, 1880) (
Philippines
)
. The new species is readily separated from
B. holothuriae
by the glabrous rather than tomentose outer surface of the cheliped palm of
B. holothuriae
and more subquadrate versus subcircular carapace outline.
Buergeres choprai
can be separated from
P. ortmanni
by the proportionally shorter P5 dactylus (about twice versus triple length of the P2 dactylus) and the setation of the P2–4 meral extensor margins (sparely setose on the proximal half versus densely setose for at least three-fourths of the length in
P. ortmanni
) (cf.
Ng & Manning 2003
). In carapace shape and pereopodal features,
Buergeres choprai
most closely resembles
B. deccanensis
. Comparison with Chopra’s (1931) excellent figures and account shows that
B. choprai
differs from
B. deccanensis
in having proportionally shorter P5 dactyli (distinctly shorter than the propodus extensor margin in
B. choprai
versus as long as extensor margin in
B. deccanensis
), the setose rather than glabrous dorsal proximal margin of the cheliped dactylus, and P2–5 meral setation (extensor margin setose in
B. choprai
,
glabrous in
B. deccanensis
; Chopra 1931: pl. 7 fig 4). Chopra (1931) also emphasised the presence of distinct grooves around the cardiac region and along the anterior midline as characteristic of
B. deccanensis
; in
B. choprai
the cardiac region is at most weakly demarcated and no median groove is evident. Well-marked carapace regions are uncommon in
Pinnotheridae
and
Buergeres
, and apparently unique to
B. deccanensis
.
Males of
B. choprai
are currently not known.
Distribution
. Presently known only from the
type
locality.