Deep-sea spider crabs of the family Epialtidae MacLeay, 1838, from Papua New Guinea, with a redefinition of Tunepugettia Ng, Komai & Sato, 2017, and descriptions of two new genera (Crustacea: Decapoda: Brachyura: Majoidea)
Author
Lee, Bee Yan
Author
Forges, Bertrand Richer De
Author
Ng, Peter K. L.
text
Zootaxa
2019
2019-06-18
4619
1
1
44
journal article
26462
10.11646/zootaxa.4619.1.1
9aaf6711-748d-4067-a759-26d37802b7fc
1175-5326
3248363
CA6AEB18-2F97-449C-AE34-E1509DFFC841
Oxypleurodon
sp. 2
(
Fig. 4
A–C)
Material examined.
1 ovigerous female (14.0 ×
9.7 mm
) (MNHN-IU-
2011-2802
), 1 ovigerous female (13.3 ×
9.1 mm
) (
ZRC
2018.1479, ex. MNHN-IU-
2011-2802
), stn CP3646,
06°45’S
147°49’E
,
460–485 m
, coll.
BIOPAPUA
Expedition,
24 August 2010
.
Remarks.
The overall carapace morphology of
O
. sp. 2 is similar to
O. stimpsoni
. Compared to a topotypic specimen of
O. stimpsoni
, however, the differences are obvious: the branchial plates are sharp anteriorly in
O. stimpsoni
(
Lee
et al
. 2017
: fig. 2) (versus rounded with an indented anterior border in
Oxypleurodon
sp. 2;
Fig. 4A
); the cardiac plate is ovate in
O. stimpsoni
(
Lee
et al
. 2017
: fig. 2) (versus with indented lateral expansions making it elliptical-shaped with irregular distal edges in
Oxypleurodon
sp. 2;
Fig. 4A
); and there is only one slender ovate mesogastric plate in
O. stimpsoni
(
Lee
et al
. 2017
: fig. 2) (versus with one ovate mesogastric plate, which is constricted in the lower part and with two large gastric granules in
Oxypleurodon
sp. 2;
Fig. 4A
). In
O
.
alisae
n. sp.
, the pseudorostral spines are long with both spines appressed (
Figs. 1C
,
2A
) (versus distinctly bifid in
Oxypleurodon
sp. 2;
Fig. 4A
); and the branchial plate is more deeply indented in
Oxypleurodon
sp. 2 (
Fig. 4A
) than in
O
.
alisae
n. sp.
(
Figs. 1C
,
2A
).
It is likely that these specimens belong to a new species of
Oxypleurodon
, but with only two female specimens on hand, more material, in particular male specimens, should be acquired before the species is formally described.