The pea crab genus Arcotheres Manning, 1993 (Crustacea: Brachyura: Pinnotheridae) from Singapore and Peninsular Malaysia, with a reappraisal of diagnostic characters and descriptions of two new genera
Author
Ng, Peter K. L.
Author
Ahyong, Shane T.
text
Raffles Bulletin of Zoology
2022
2022-04-01
70
134
248
journal article
10.26107/RBZ-2022-0009
2345-7600
7174234
BE6164AE-1C24-4E01-8B7B-D80764F147B3
Arcotheres rayi
Ahyong & Ng, 2007b
(
Figs. 46–49
,
50H–L
,
51
,
52
)
Arcotheres rayi
Ahyong & Ng, 2007b: 203
, fig. 11 [
type
locality: Mariveles or
Bohol
,
Philippines
];
Ng et al., 2008: 248
;
Clark & Schram, 2009: 450
;
Ng et al., 2017: 1094
;
Trivedi et al., 2018a: 54
, 56;
Trivedi et al., 2019: 590
, tab. 1;
De Gier & Becker, 2020
: tab. 1.
Fig. 46.
Arcotheres rayi
Ahyong & Ng, 2007
, holotype female (11.3 × 8.7 mm) (SMF-ZMG 952), Philippines. A, overall dorsal view; B, ventral view of cephalothorax; C, outer view of left chela.
Type material.
Holotype
: female (11.3 ×
8.7 mm
) (
SMFZMG952
), Mariveles or
Bohol
,
Philippines
, coll.
Semper
(
paralectotype
of
Xenophthalmus latifrons
Bürger, 1895
).
Other material examined. Peninsular
Malaysia
:
3 males
(4.2 × 3.8–4.4 × 4.0 mm), 8 ovigerous females (5.4 × 5.1–8.4 × 7.0 mm), 5 spent females (5.6 × 4.0–6.9 ×
5.2 mm
)
,
10 females
with bopyrids (5.4 × 3.8–10.4 ×
6.2 mm
) (
ZRC 2013.1416
),
Bentong
market,
Pahang
, in
Paphia
sp.
, coll.
M. Low
,
10 May 2010
.
Description.
Female: Carapace and pereopods poorly chitinised, soft. Carapace subcircular to subhexagonal, wider than long; dorsal and lateral surfaces smooth, glabrous; appearing domed in frontal view; front in line with (larger specimens) or slightly produced anteriorly (smaller specimens) beyond transverse anterolateral margins, margin gently convex; anterior margin with (larger specimens) or without (smaller specimens) shallow notch above orbit flanking front (
Figs. 46A
,
47A, C, D
,
48A–C
,
49A
). Eyes small, not or just visible in dorsal view in adults; mobile, completely filling orbit (
Figs. 46A
,
47A, C, D
,
48A–C
,
49A, C
). Epistome with median part triangular, lateral margins gently concave (
Fig. 49C
).
MXP3 outer surface with scattered short setae; ischiomerus completely fused, subrhomboidal, inner margin usually rounded, at widest point; carpus short; propodus about 3 times as long as high, subspatulate, distinctly longer than carpus, tip rounded to subtruncate; dactylus slender, inserted medially on propodus, tip underreaching or just reaching propodal apex; exopod relatively slender, about two-thirds length of ischiomerus, flagellum 2-segmented (
Fig. 49B
).
Chela not prominently elongate, dactylus half to two-thirds palm length; palm relatively slender, proximally narrower than distally; outer surfaces of palm, fingers (except for distal part) almost glabrous, with only scattered short setae; ventral margin of palm gently convex to sinuous; dactylus occlusal margin with distinct subproximal tooth; pollex occlusal margin usually with 1 low proximal tooth (sometimes obsolete), 1 submedian tooth, and minute denticles; tips of fingers sharp, hooked (
Figs. 46C
,
47E
,
49E
).
P2–P5 dorsally, ventrally unarmed; outer surface covered with scattered, very short setae or glabrous; ventral margins of propodus and dactylus slightly more setose; merus relatively longer, more slender, relative lengths of meri P4>P3>P5>P2; left (sometimes right) P4 distinctly the longer; P2 and P3 dactyli short, subequal, tip gently hooked; P4 longer dactylus elongate, weakly falciform, distinctly longer than half propodus length, longer than P5 dactylus; P5 merus 3.9–4.5 times longer than wide; P5 dactylus shorter than propodus extensor margin, longer than P2 and P3 dactyli, length/height <5.0, margins lined with short and long setae, denser on ventral margin, distoflexor margin without rows of spinules (
Figs. 49F–M
,
50H–L
).
Fig. 47.
Arcotheres rayi
Ahyong & Ng, 2007
, female (6.9 × 5.2 mm) (ZRC 2013.1416), Peninsular Malaysia. A, overall dorsal view; B, ventral view of cephalothorax; C, dorsal view of carapace; D, frontal view of cephalothorax; E, outer view of left chela.
Fig. 48.
Arcotheres rayi
Ahyong & Ng, 2007
. A, D, ovigerous female (7.6 × 5.8 mm) (ZRC 2013.1416), Peninsular Malaysia; B, C, E, female (6.2 × 4.4 mm) (ZRC 2013.1416), Peninsular Malaysia. A, B, overall dorsal view; C, dorsal view of carapace; D, E, right P5.
Pleon extending to buccal region, covering bases of P2–P5; telson gently recessed into concave distal margin of somite 6 (
Figs. 46B
,
47B
,
49D
).
Male
: Carapace and pereopods well chitinised, firm. Carapace almost circular, slightly wider than long; dorsal surface almost smooth, not prominently inflated, lateral surfaces with setae; front projecting anteriorly, margin gently sinuous to almost straight (
Figs. 51A
,
52A
). MXP3 as in female but dactylus shorter (
Fig. 52B
). Anterior thoracic sternum wide, sternites 1, 2 fused, partially sunken into buccal cavity; suture between sternites 2 and 3 shallow; sternites 3, 4 completely fused, separated only by shallow grooves. Chela relatively stout, shorter than in female (
Figs. 51C
,
52D
). P2–P5 dorsally, ventrally unarmed; outer surface covered with short setae; P3 and P4 carpus and propodus with long natatory setae; left and right meri equal, relative lengths of meri P4>P3>P2>P5; dactyli of P2–P4 progressively longer; right P4 dactylus slightly longer, more slender than left side; P4 and P5 dactylus subequal to that of P3, covered with short setae (
Fig. 52E–L
). Pleon slender, triangular, widest at somite 3, lateral margins of somite 4 gently concave; somite 6 trapezoidal; telson semicircular, wider than long (
Fig. 52M
). G1 relatively stout, arcuate, curved outwards, with short triangular subdistal dorsal projection, tip rounded (
Fig. 52N, O
). G2 short, with spatuliform tip; exopod about two-thirds endopod length (
Fig. 52P
).
Fig. 49.
Arcotheres rayi
Ahyong & Ng, 2007
, ovigerous female (7.6 × 5.8 mm) (ZRC 2013.1416), Peninsular Malaysia. A, overall dorsal view; B, right MXP3; C, frontal view of cephalothorax; D, anterior thoracic sternum; E, right chela; F–I, left P2–P5; J–M, right P2–P5. Scale = A, 2.0 mm; B, 0.5 mm; C–M, 1.0 mm.
Variation.
The carapace shape varies somewhat, the most important being the prominence of the front, whose variation is broadly size-related. In the
holotype
of
A. rayi
, the largest known specimen of the species, the front does not protrude in advance of the general anterior margin, but is demarcated on either side by a shallow notch above each orbit (
Fig. 46
). Other specimens, however, have a front that protrudes anteriorly beyond the general anterior margin, some retaining the notch on either side of the front (
Fig. 48B, C
), but most others without (
Figs. 47
,
48A
,
49
). The length of the longer P5 dactylus varies allometrically, being proportionately shorter in small specimens (
Table 2
;
Fig. 50H–L
).
Fig. 50. Right female P5. A–G,
Arcotheres exiguus
(
Bürger, 1895
)
, Peninsular Malaysia: A, juvenile (3.8 × 3.6 mm) (ZRC 2018.772); B, ovigerous (4.5 × 4.1 mm) (ZRC 2018.775); C, non-ovigerous (4.6 × 4.2 mm) (ZRC 2018.772); D, spent (5.4 × 4.6 mm) (ZRC 2018.775); E, ovigerous (6.8 × 6.1 mm) (ZRC 2019.516); F, ovigerous (7.7 × 6.7 mm) (ZRC 2018.772); G, ovigerous (8.9 × 7.6 mm) (ZRC 2018.775). H–L,
A. rayi
Ahyong & Ng, 2007
, Peninsular Malaysia: H, juvenile (5.4 × 5.8 mm) (ZRC 2013.1416); I, non-ovigerous (5.6 × 4.3 mm) (ZRC 2013.1416); J, non-ovigerous (8.1 × 5.2 mm) (ZRC 2013.1416); K, spent (6.9 × 5.2 mm) (ZRC 2013.1416); L, ovigerous (8.4 × 7.0 mm) (ZRC 2013.1416). Scale = 1.0 mm.
Host.
Known only from
Paphia
sp.
(
Veneridae Rafinesque, 1815
).
Remarks.
Arcotheres rayi
is morphologically very close to
A. exiguus
, but the good series of specimens has permitted evaluation of intraspecific variability, enabling more reliable recognition of interspecific differences. Females of
A. rayi
, in which the carapace front is demarcated by a notch in the anterior margin above each orbit (
Figs. 46
,
48B, C, E
), are readily distinguished from
A. exiguus
, which does not have the anterior carapace notches (
Figs. 33B, C
,
35B, E
,