Porcellanidae (Crustacea: Decapoda: Anomura) from New Caledonia and the Loyalty Islands
Author
Osawa, Masayuki
text
Zootaxa
2007
1548
1
49
journal article
10.5281/zenodo.178040
2cbe1502-c057-4a0c-8f15-c1815dcd4d20
1175-5326
178040
Aliaporcellana pygmaea
(de
Man
, 1902
)
(
Fig. 1
)
Porcellana pygmaea
de
Man
, 1902
: 698
, pl. 23, figs. 38, 38a–e (
type
locality:
Ternate
,
Indonesia
).
Polyonyx pugilator
Nobili, 1905
: 161
(
type
locality: Persian Gulf).
Polyonyx pygmaeus
.—
Lewinsohn, 1969
: 161
, fig. 36.
Aliaporcellana pygmaea
.—
Nakasone & Miyake, 1969
: 19
.
Material examined. Loyalty Islands. Lifou
Island
. Santal Bay. Atelier
LIFOU
.
St. 1459 (St. 6), Ngoni,
20°47.0’S
,
167°03.0’E
,
55–80 m
, dredge,
13 Nov. 2000
:
1 male
CL
2.2 mm
. St. 1446 (St. 41B), Mepinyo,
20°50.8’S
,
167°09.7’E
,
36–40 m
,
16 Nov. 2000
:
1 male
CL
4.8 mm
. St. 1457 (St. 67), Ngoni,
20°46.8’S
,
167°02.75’E
,
5–10 m
,
27 Nov. 2000
:
1 male
CL
4.6 mm
.
Remarks.
Lewinsohn (1969)
discussed the variations that occur in this species according to sex and increase in size of individuals.
Aliaporcellana pygmaea
is distinguished from
A. suluensis
primary by the produced lateral lobes of the rostrum usually visible in dorsal view (
Fig. 1
A); smaller cheliped with scattered, stout, stiff setae and with the carpus and dactylus armed with slender, acute teeth on the dorsoflexor (posterior) margin (
Fig. 1
B, C); and dactyli of the ambulatory legs each with a single corneous spine on the flexor margin (
Fig. 1
D; unarmed in
A.
suluensis
). These characters agree well with the original description and illustrations of
Porcellana pygmaea
by de
Man
(1902)
.
Aliaporcellana kikuchii
Nakasone & Miyake, 1969
closely resembles
A. pygmaea
, but differs in having the lateral lobes of the rostrum each terminating in a small spine and dactyli of the ambulatory legs unarmed on the flexor margin (a short, corneous spine is present in
A. pygmaea
).
Distribution
. Red Sea, Gulf of Aden, Persian Gulf,
Seychelles
,
Madagascar
, Cargados Carajos (northeast of
Mauritius
), Gulf of
Thailand
, Java Sea,
Moluccas
,
New Caledonia
, and Loyalty Islands. Shallow water to
62 m
; among sponges and antipatharians (
Haig 1983
,
1989
). The specimens examined were collected at depths of
5–80 m
in the Loyalty Islands.