Transisthmian differentiation in the tree-climbing mangrove crab Aratus H. Milne Edwards, 1853 (Crustacea, Brachyura, Sesarmidae), with description of a new species from the tropical eastern Pacific
Author
Thiercelin, N.
Author
Schubart, C. D.
text
Zootaxa
2014
3793
5
545
560
journal article
45886
10.11646/zootaxa.3793.5.3
c6cef31e-25a7-4d04-ae88-ddaa81ed3e86
1175-5326
229915
461B59C7-AC41-4B57-9454-81B35432699E
Aratus pisonii
(H.
Milne Edwards, 1837
)
(
Figs. 3
A, B, E, F, I, J, M, N; 4A, B, E, F, I, J; 6A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, J, K, L, M, N,
O
, P, Q, R, S, T, U, V, W, X; 7A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, J, K, L, M, N,
O
, P, Q, R; 8A, B, G, H, M, N, S, T; 9A, B, G, H, M, N)
Aratu pinima
Piso & Marcgrave 1648
: 185
Sesarma pisonii
H.
Milne Edwards, 1837
: 76
, pl. 19, figs. 4, 5
Aratus pisoni
H.
Milne Edwards 1853
: 187
Aratus pisonii
Rathbun 1918
: 322
, pl. 96, figs. 1, 2.—
Boone 1930
: 207
, pl. 70.—
Warner 1967
: 321
.; 1968: 249, figs. 1–6.—
Beever
et al
. 1979
: 317
.—
Díaz & Conde 1989
: 148
.—
Schubart
et al
. 2000
: 179
.—
Leme 2002
: 553
.—
Fratini
et al
. 2005
: 219
.—Schubart
et al
. 2006: 193.
Type
material.
Two dry specimens (male, 19.6 ×
20.6mm
, female, 19.9 ×
20.6mm
) from the
type
series in the Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, Paris (
MNHN
B3341, photographs) were recognised as
syntypes
by N.K. Ng, T. Naruse, P.A. Rodriguez Moreno and D. Guinot (pers. comm., work in progress), of which one will be designated as the
lectotype
.
Type
locality:
Martinique
.
Material examined.
Jamaica
.
St. Ann Parish, Priory,
18°27.1'N-
77°13.5'W
,
1 ♂
(22.46 ×
22.61mm
) (
RMNH
.
CRUS
.D.55078), coll. C.D. Schubart
et al.
,
8 Mar.2011
; St. Ann Parish, Priory, New Seville,
18°26.756'N-
77°12.644'W
,
1 ♂
(26.5 ×
24.8mm
) (
NHMW
25475), coll. C.D. Schubart & P. Koller,
1 Mar.2011
.
Dominican Republic
.
Bahía de Las Calderas, Las Salinas,
18°12.75'N-
70°32.46'W
,
1 ♂
(18.45 ×
17.65mm
) (MNHN-IU-2009-3094), coll. C.D. Schubart, R. Landstorfer, N. Rivera,
1 Nov.2006
; Bahía de Luperón,
19°53.76'N-
70°57.56'W
,
2 ♂
(18.65 × 17.3, 20.2 ×
19.35mm
) (
SMF
43534), coll. C.D. Schubart, R. Landstorfer, N. Rivera,
25 Oct.2006
.
Costa Rica
. Limón, Puerto Viejo de Talamanca, Punta Uva,
9°37.930'N-
82°40.200'W
,
1 ♂
(20.35 ×
20.10mm
) (MNHN-IU-2009-5103), Coll. C.D. Schubart & I. Wehrtmann,
28 Jan.2006
.
Brazil
. Pará, Marapanim, Marudá,
FIGURE 3.
First male left gonopods of
Aratus pisonii
and
Aratus pacificus
n. sp.
observed in scanning electron microscopy (SEM) in longitudinal mesial (A–D), dorsal (E–H), lateral (I–L) and ventral (M–P) views. CW × CL in mm. Abbreviations: s, suture; t, chitinous tip.
FIGURE 4.
First male left gonopods of
Aratus pisonii
and
Aratus pacificus
n. sp.
observed in scanning electron microscopy (SEM) in apical view (A–D), detail of the endpiece in lateral view (E–H) and total view (I–L). Abbreviation: d, depression.
0°37.023'S-
47°37.946'W
,
1 ♂
(16.65 ×
16.25mm
) (
SMF
43533), coll. C.D. Schubart & N. Thiercelin,
15 Nov. 2010
; Bahia, Itacaré, Rio de Contas,
14°16.494'S-
38°59.869'W
,
2 ♂
(17.85 × 17.8, 17.05 ×
16.55 mm
) (
MZUSP
28251 &
MZUSP
28255), coll. C.D. Schubart & N. Thiercelin,
11 Nov.2010
.
Description.
First male gonopod (
Figs. 3
A, B, E, F, I, J, M, N; 4A, B, E, F, I, J; 6A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, J, K, L, M, N,
O
, P, Q, R, S, T, U, V, W, X; 7A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, J, K, L, M, N,
O
, P, Q, R; 8A, B, G, H, M, N, S, T; 9A, B, G, H, M, N) elongated. Stem triangular in cross section; basal diameter wider than medial diameter. Mesial, ventral faces flat; slanted suture (sperm channel) clearly marked on dorsal face with terminal section in strongly marked depression; endpiece larger than medial part, easily noticeable in mesial, lateral views, endpiece bulging in lateral view; dorsal part almost spoon-shaped in mesial view. Mesial endpiece of ventral part slightly higher than dorsal part (angle approx. 25° in mesial view); short, chitinous, tip strongly curved (U-shaped) in ventral position, with pore on dorsal margin; suture aligned with chitinous edge of tip on apex of gonopod, with mesial face of chitinous tip/dorsal suture angle of approx. 115°; mesial face of chitinous tip/mesial face of approx. 110°; small denticles on lateral face of chitinous process. Small depression in medial position near tip. Large number of long setae on apex around chitinous tip, as well as on lateral, dorsal sides of endpiece lateral bulge. One line of setae on endpiece at edge between mesial, dorsal faces. Few single short setae on gonopod. Presence of few plumodenticulate setae on dorsal part of endpiece bulge.
Biology.
There is an extensive body of scientific literature on
Aratus pisonii
sensu stricto
, as almost all the studies concerning this genus were conducted in the Atlantic Ocean. A detailed summary of this literature was given by Cuesta
et al.
(2006), including life history aspects (
Warner 1967
,
Díaz & Conde 1989
,
Leme 2002
) and larval description (
Warner 1968
).
Geographical distribution.
Aratus pisonii
sensu stricto
is now restricted to the Atlantic Ocean, from Florida to south
Brazil
(Santa Catarina) including the Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of
Mexico
(
Beever
et al.
1979
,
Melo 1996
).
Remarks.
The species was named in honour of Willem Piso, who made the first description and drawing of this species in 1648 (
Piso & Marcgrave 1648
). Piso, however, seems to have confused
A. pisonii
with
Goniopsis cruentata
(Latreille, 1803)
, a grapsid crab living in the same habitat and also able to climb on mangrove roots and stems, as the colour pattern described in the text does not correspond to the one observed in
Aratus
.