The description of a new species of the Neotropical land crab genus Gecarcinus Leach, 1814 (Crustacea, Decapoda, Brachyura, Gecarcinidae)AuthorPerger, RobertAuthorWall, AdamtextZooKeys201443593109http://dx.doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.435.7271journal articlehttp://dx.doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.435.72711313-2970-435-939C499399E2364886BC5AAB9C8799066CTaxon classification Animalia Decapoda GecarcinidaeGecarcinus Leach, 1814Gecarcinus
Leach, 1814: 430.
Type species.Cancer ruricola
Linnaeus, 1758 (original combination).
Diagnosis.Exopod not projecting beyond third maxilliped ischium-merus articulation, without flagellum; palp concealed by third maxilliped merus margin. Mesial segment of first male gonopod distally reduced and terminal segment basally exposed, terminal segment projecting beyond apical setae.Remarks.
Because further evidence challenging
Tuerkay's
(1973)
synonymization of
Gecarcinus quadratus
with
Gecarcinus lateralis
has not been presented to date, we follow his taxonomy and treat
Gecarcinus quadratus
, described from the Pacific mainland, as a junior synonym of
Gecarcinus lateralis
.
Key to the species of
Gecarcinus
Leach, 1814
Gecarcinus ruricola
Fig. 2B, C
Figs 2C3BFigs 2C3BFigs 4C5D
Gecarcinus nobilii
Figs 2B6B, E
Figs
2B6B, EFig. 5AFig. 5CFig. 5B
Gecarcinus lateralis
Figure 2. (CF) Carapace front; (O) orbit; (IOM) mesial lobe of infraorbital margin; (x) widest width of CF; (z) mesial end of suborbital crista; (
x-y
) width of IOM at point of contact with CF; (
y-z
) shortest distance between CF and mesial end of suborbital crista; A, B Atlantic
Gecarcinus lateralis
(
Freminville 1835
), male, carapace width (CW) 31 mm, Costa Rica, Puerto Viejo C
Gecarcinus nobilii
sp. n., holotype, male, CW 31 mm, Ecuador, Punta Galera (LACM CR 1968-477). First male gonopod:
Gecarcinus nobilii
sp. n., holotype: D mesial view E lateral view F Pacific
Gecarcinus lateralis
(sensu
Tuerkay
1973
), CW 31 mm, Costa Rica, Hermosa Beach, lateral view; Scale bar = 5 mm.
Figure 3.
Gecarcinus nobilii
sp. n., holotype, male, carapace width 31 mm, Ecuador, Punta Galera (LACM CR 1968-477), preserved in alcohol (color faded): A dorsal view B frontal view C ventral view. Paratype, female, Ecuador, St. Elena (MNHN, B12314), preserved in alcohol (color faded): D carapace front E frontal view F ventral view.
Figure 4.
Gecarcinus nobilii
sp. n., color in life; Colombia: Gorgona Island A male, photo by Karla Garcia Burneo (Peru) B, C male, photos by Rhett A. Butler (USA) D female, Buenaventura dept., Chucheros Beach, photo by Elena
Gomez
E sex unknown,
Choco
dept.,
Nuqui
prov., Canangucho Forest Reserve. Ecuador: F sex unknown,
Manabi
prov., Ayampe, photo by David Liebman (USA). Captive individuals from the pet trade, origin unknown: G sex unknown, photo by Oliver Mengedoht (Germany) H, I females, photos by John Beatty (USA) (the individual shown above in Fig. I belongs to the Pacific population of
Gecarcinus lateralis
(sensu
Tuerkay
1973
), please note the differences in the mesial lobe of the infraorbital margin).
Figure 5. Dorsal carapace pattern (shape of light patches could vary slightly):
Gecarcinus lateralis
(
Freminville 1835
) (sensu
Tuerkay
1973
): A Pacific coast of Central America. Atlantic coast of Central America: B form with lateral margin (M) on dorsal carapace and orange patches at anterolateral (AP) and posterior (PP) carapace border; C form without lateral margin on dorsal carapace D
Gecarcinus nobilii
sp. n.
Figure 6.
A-C
lectotype of
Gecarcinus lateralis
(Freminville, 1835), male, carapace width 47.2 mm, Guadeloupe (MNHN-3758) (dried specimen, color faded)
D-F
syntype of
Gecarcinus quadratus
Saussure, 1853, male, carapace width 39.7 mm, Mexico, Mazatlan (ANSP-CA3741) (dried specimen, color faded) (photos by Paul Callomon, Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University, Philadelphia).