The identity of the semiterrestrial crab Terrathelphusa kuchingensis (Nobili, 1901) (Crustacea: Decapoda: Brachyura: Gecarcinucidae), with descriptions of four new species from southwestern Sarawak, Borneo, Malaysia
Author
Grinang, Jongkar
Author
Ng, Peter K. L.
text
Zootaxa
2015
3946
3
331
346
journal article
10.11646/zootaxa.3946.3.2
d57d5862-5fc5-480c-84c9-3b598b597197
1175-5326
244741
24E2F41D-89BF-473F-ACE0-ED951BCB2699
Terrathelphusa mas
n. sp.
(
Figs. 9
A–H, 10A–E,
11I
, J)
Material examined
.
Holotype
: male (35.5 ×
26.4 mm
) (
ZRC
2015.0005), open green golf course, Borneo Highlands Resort, Gunung Penrissen, Kuching,
Sarawak
, 1O07’43.8”N 110O13’07.3”E,
852 m
asl, coll. J. Grinang
et al
.,
16 September 2013
.
Paratype
:
2 females
(larger 26.3 ×
20.4 mm
) (SBC.C.00374–75);
1 female
(
ZRC
2014.0840); data same as
holotype
.
FIGURE 9
.
Terrathelphusa mas
n. sp.
, holotype male (35.5 × 26.4 mm) (ZRC 2015.0005), sandstone outcrop, Gunung Penrissen, Kuching, Sarawak. A, overall dorsal view; B, dorsal view of carapace; C, frontal view of carapace; D, ventral view showing anterior thoracic sternum and male abdomen; E, left third maxilliped; F, outer view of right fourth ambulatory leg; G, outer view of right chela; H, outer view of left chela.
Diagnosis.
Carapace broader than long, conspicuously swollen, surface convex, smooth; cervical grooves broad, deep; epigastric cristae high, separated by deep epigastric groove; H-groove deep, long almost confluent with cervical grooves; epibranchial tooth indistinct but can be separated from external orbital angle by notch, anterolateral, frontal regions appearing compressed, supraorbital margin almost parallel with frontal margin; epistome median lobe blunt to bifurcated (
Fig. 9
A–C). Male abdomen with elongated somite 6, lateral margins gently concave (
Fig. 9
D). Third maxilliped ischium rectangular, about 2.1 times maximum width (
Fig. 9
E). Ambulatory legs smooth, relatively slender, length about 4.4 times width (
Fig. 9
F). Cheliped carpus rugose, without granules (
Fig. 9
G, H), inner angle with narrower, acutely triangular tooth; gap between fingers of major chela conspicuously wide (
Fig. 9
A). G1 distinctly curving outwards; terminal segment cone-shaped, tapered, gently curving upwards to tip, about 0.3 times length of subterminal segment (
Fig. 10
A, B, D, E). Distal segment of G2 relatively long, about 0.8 times length of basal segment (
Fig. 10
C).
Life colour.
Body and appendages are bright golden yellow (
Fig.
11
I, J).
Variation.
The
paratypes
agree well with the
holotype
male except for variations in a few characters. In the larger specimens, the ambulatory legs are relatively longer and the cervical grooves are somewhat broader than in smaller specimens.
Habitat.
The species is sympatric with
T. aglaia
n. sp.
, at high elevations on Gunung Penrissen, but it absent at low elevations.
Etymology.
Derived from the Iban word
mas
for gold alluding to the golden appearance of the new species. The name is used as a noun in apposition.
FIGURE 10
.
Terrathelphusa mas
n. sp.
, holotype male (35.5 × 26.4 mm) (ZRC 2015.0005), sandstone outcrop, Gunung Penrissen, Kuching, Sarawak. A, ventral view of left G1; B, ventral view of distal part of left G1; C, dorsal view of left G2; D, dorsal view of G1; E, dorsal view of distal part of left G1. Scales: A, C, D = 1 mm; B, E = 0.5 mm.
FIGURE 11
. Life colour of five species of
Terrathelphusa
from Kuching Division, Sarawak. A, B,
Terrathelphusa kuchingensis
(Nobili, 1901)
, male (36.0 × 26.4 mm) (ZRC 2015.0001), shortly after collection, Gunung Temurang; C, D,
Terrathelphusa aglaia
n. sp.
, holotype male (35.9 × 26.6 mm) (ZRC 2015.0002), Gunung Penrissen; E, F,
Terrathelphusa cerina
n. sp.
, female (24.2 × 20.1 mm), captured-marked-released, Gunung Singai; G, H,
Terrathelphusa kundong
n. sp.
, female (30.8 × 23.0 mm) (SBC.C.00364-65), Gunung Serambu; I, J,
Terrathelphusa mas
n. sp.
, holotype male (35.5 × 26.4 mm) (ZRC 2015.0005), Gunung Penrissen.
TABLE
1. Differences between eight
Terrathelphusa
species from Borneo [* from Ng (1997)]
Characters
T. aglaia
T. cerina
T. kuchingensis
T. kundong
T. loxophthalma
*
T. mas
T. ovis
*
T. telur*
Third Length of ischium Length of ischium Length of ischium Length of Length of ischium Length of ischium Length of ischium Length of maxilliped about 1.9 times about 2.0 times about 1.8 times ischium about about 1.8 times about 2.1 times about 1.6 times ischium about
maximum width maximum width maximum width 1.9 times maximum width maximum width maximum width 1.5 times
maximum width maximum width
Remarks.
Terrathelphusa mas
n. sp.
, can be distinguished from
T. kuchingensis
and the other species being described by a combination of characters: inner angle of carpus having a narrow and acutely triangular tooth (
Fig. 9
A) (versus broad and acutely triangular tooth in
T. kuchingensis
(
Fig. 1
A),
T. aglaia
n. sp.
(
Fig. 3
A) and
T. cerina
n. sp.
(
Fig. 5
A), and broadly triangular tooth in
T. kundong
n. sp.
(
Fig. 7
A); and the G1 is distinctly curving outwards (
Fig. 10
A, B, C, D) (versus gently curving outwards in others,
Figs. 2
A, B, D, E; 4A, B, D, E; 6A, B, D, E; 8A, B, D, E).
Terrathelphusa
species from the Kuching region differ from taxa in the northern region
viz.
T. loxophthalma
,
T. ovis
and
T. telur
as summarised in
Table 1
.