Bartethusa hepatica Quayle & Collins, 1981

Guinot, Danièle, 2023, A new subfamily classification of the highly diversified Dorippidae H. Milne Edwards, 1837 (Crustacea, Decapoda, Brachyura, Dorippoidea), using morphological, molecular and palaeotonlogical data, with special emphasis on its unique female reproductive system, Zoosystema 45 (9), pp. 225-372 : 358

Bartethusa hepatica Quayle & Collins, 1981

Bartethusa hepatica Quayle & Collins, 1981: 738 , pl. 104, fig. 4. — De Grave et al. 2009: 31. — Schweitzer et al. 2010: 79. — Sasaki 2019: 7771. — Collins et al. 2020: 42, fig. 8A. — Van Bakel et al. 2020: fig. 10.24 — Schweitzer et al. 2021: 3, fig. 1.3.

REMARKS

This species, from the Middle Eocene (Bartonian) of the Isle of Wight, considered a dorippid and not an ethusid by their authors (despite its genus name), does indeed have the appearance of a representative of the Dorippidae . The short, wide carapace is subquadrate, with several recognisable regions on the dorsal surface, including a large hepatic region, and prominent grooves, the anterior called ‘hepatic’ corresponding to the precervical groove (see Interpretation of grooves on the carapace dorsal surface in Dorippidae ). The slightly concave posterior border is ‘bounded by a thin ridge’ (Quayle & Collins 1981: 739). The front is divided into four equidistant triangular teeth of wich the innermost, separated by a deep V-shaped emargination, are the largest. The subquadrate carapace, the deeply grooved and weakly ornamented surface are more like that of Dorippoidinae n. subfam. and other genera with a similar facies ( Fig. 3 ).

Figures

FIG. 3. — Carapace diversity in the nine dorippid genera: A, Dorippe Weber, 1795 (D. quadridens); B, Dorippoides Serène & Romimohtarto, 1969 (D. facchino); C, Medorippe Manning & Holthuis, 1981 (?M. crosnieri); D, Heikeopsis Ng, Guinot & Davie, 2008 (H. aff. japonica); E, Neodorippe Serène & Romimohtarto, 1969 (N. callida); F, Nobilum Serène & Romimohtarto, 1969 (N. histrio); G, Paradorippe Serène & Romimohtarto, 1969 (P. cathayana); H, Philippidorippe Chen, 1986 (P. philippinensis); I, Phyllodorippe Manning & Holthuis, 1981 (P. armata). A-G, I: modified from Sin et al. (2009: fig. 3); H, from Chen (1986: pl. 1, fig. 3). The strip, which is shown here only in Dorippoides facchino (Herbst, 1785) and Medorippe?crosnieri Chen, 1988, is in fact present in all species of dorippids.