Polydectus cupulifer (Latreille, in Milbert, 1812)

(Fig. 1 B)

Cancer cupulifer Latreille, in Milbert, 1812: 273 (type locality: Île de France = Mauritius).

Pilumnus cupulifer — Latreille 1825: 124.

Polydectus cupulifer —H. Milne Edwards 1837: 146, pl. 14 fig. 4. — Rathbun 1906: 866. — Klunzinger 1913: 281 (185), pl. 7 fig. 8. — Verrill 1928: 18, pl. 4 fig. A, pl. 5 fig. A. — Balss 1934: 513. — Edmondson 1946: 33, 301; 1962: 216, 217, 304, figs. 32c, 34a, b. — Tweedie, 1950: 125. — Tinker, 1965: 118, pl. 47. — Sakai 1967: 78; 1976: 505, pl. 79 fig. 2. — Guinot 1967: 268; 1976: 65, figs. 15A–G, 17A, 18A, 19A, 20A–D, pl. 2 figs. 8–11. — Serène 1968: 88; 1984: 24, fig. 1, pl. 1 fig. A. — Guinot et al. 1995: fig. 3B. — Hoover 2006: 39, 282, color photograph. — Chen & Hsueh 2007: 412, fig. 1A–C. — Ng et al. 2008: 201 (list). — Castro 2011: 101.

Polydectus villosus Dana, 1852a: 81; 1852b: 227; 1855: pl. 13 fig. 3a–e.

Material examined. 1 female, 16.1 × 13.3 mm (ZRC 2011.0768), stn P4, Balicasag Is., PANGLAO 2004, May– Jun. 2004.

Remarks. This species, originally described from Mauritius, has been widely recorded across the Indo-West Pacific region (Guinot 1976). The sole specimen from Balicasag (Fig. 1 B) is easily recognizable in its morphology (densely pilose carapace and pereopods, infraorbital and exorbital margins with cupuliform tubercles, and long slender cheliped fingers with robust, spiniform teeth) which agrees well with the description and illustrations in Guinot (1976: 65, figs. 15A–G, 17A, 18A, 19A, 20A–D, pl. 2 fig. 8–11), Serène (1984: 24, fig. 1, pl. 1 fig. A) and Chen & Hsueh (2007: 412, fig. 1A–C). The specimen was observed to carry a single actinian in its right cheliped, which was preserved together with the crab.