Harpiliopsis spinigera ( Ortmann, 1890 )

Li, Xinzheng, 2008, Report on some species of Palaemonidae (Crustacea, Decapoda) from French Polynesia, Zoosystema 30 (1), pp. 203-252 : 206-207

Harpiliopsis spinigera ( Ortmann, 1890)

Anchistia spinigera Ortmann, 1890: 511 , pl. 36, fig. 23.

Harpiliopsis spinigera – Chace & Bruce 1993: 82. — Poupin 1998: 14. — De Grave 2000: 124. — Li 2000: 64, fig. 67. — Marin et al. 2004: 201, fig. 2. — Li & Bruce 2006: 636 , fig. 2.

MATERIAL EXAMINED. — Marquesas Is. Atuona Bay, Hiva Oa, 14.II.1996, coll. J. Poupin, 1 ♂, 1 ovig. ♀ (MNHN-Na 13355). — Same data, associated with Pocillopora spp. , 15.II.1996, 2 ♀♀ (1 ovig.) (MNHN-Na 16031).

Tuamotu Is. Mururoa, 2-3 m, X.1995, coll. J. Poupin, 2 ovig. ♀♀, 1 juvenile ♀ ( MNHN Na 14819). — Fangataufa, coll. J. Poupin, 4. V.1997, 3 juveniles (2 ♂♂, 1 ♀) (MNHN-Na 13401).

HOST. — Pocillopora sp. (Cnidaria, Anthozoa, Scleractinia , Pocilloporidae ). Previously reported associating with species of Pocillopora , Stylophora by Poupin (1998) from the Marquesas and Tuamotu Islands.

DISTRIBUTION. — Type locality: Samoa. Previously also known from Kenya, Zanzibar, Comoro Is, Seychelles, la Réunion, Maldives, Andaman Is , Vietnam, Philippines, Indonesia, Australia (Queensland), New Caledonia, Fiji Is , Marshall Is , French Polynesia (Marquesas Is , Tuamotu Is ), and, in the East Pacific region , Panama and Colombia ; littoral, 0-20 m depth with certainty. Previously recorded from Marquesas and Tuamotu islands by Poupin (1998) .

REMARKS

The Mururoa specimens retained traces of the typical colour pattern when first examined, with red-spotted fingers on the second pereiopods. The adults have a rostral dentition of 8/4, 8/5, with the first tooth articulated and the distal tooth minute. The Marquesas Islands specimens are small and the female has a rostral dentition of 7/3. The male’s rostrum is damaged. The Fangataufa specimens have a rostral dentition of 7-8/3-4.

All the specimens have the posterolateral angles of all the abdominal pleura rounded. Kemp (1922: 234) indicated that his Harpilius depressus var. gracilis (synonymized with Harpiliopsis depressus var. spinigerus ( Ortmann, 1890) by Holthuis (1952b)) differs from typical Harpilius depressus Stimpson, 1860 of the same sex in aspects of the antennal scale, second and third pereiopods, and the position of the anterior pair of dorsal telson spines, but “In all other respects the variety closely resembles the typical form.” He also stated that “The pleura of the fourth and fifth abdominal somites are acutely pointed infero-posteriorly” ( Kemp 1922: 233). In their keys to distinguish the genera of the Pontoniinae, Holthuis (1993: 121) and Bruce (1994: 15) further stated that Harpiliopsis has strong, acute posteroventral angles on the pleura of at least the fourth and fifth abdominal segments. In fact, the situation of the posterolateral angles of abdominal pleura, has not been thoroughly investigated. Recently, Marin et al. (2004: 203, fig. 3a-c) illustrated (no description) the abdominal somites of an ovigerous female, juvenile and mature male based on H. spinigera material from Vietnam. The posteroventral angle of the fourth abdominal somite pleura of the ovigerous female and juvenile is rounded, that of the male has a small acute tooth; the posteroventral angle of the fifth abdominal somite pleura of the ovigerous female, juvenile and the male, as always consists of a small acute tooth or truncate, instead of strong and acute as in the other two congeneric species, Harpiliopsis beaupresii (Audouin, 1825) and H. depressa Stimpson, 1860 . The rounded posterolateral angles of the abdominal pleurae are perhaps a feature distinguishing Harpiliopsis spinigera from the other two species of the genus. The specimens examined agree with the previous descriptions and illustrations of H. spinigera by the following characters: the carapace has the antennal spine arising only slightly below the orbital angle, on level considerably dorsal to that of the hepatic spine; the third maxilliped has the antepenultimate segment about 6 times longer than its width; the second pereiopod has the dactyl without lateral carina, armed with two teeth on the cutting edge and the fixed finger with three teeth, the palm and merus each about 5-6 times longer than their central width respectively, the ischium without distal spine on the extensor margin, with one distal spine on the flexor margin; the telson has the posterior pair of dorsolateral spines arising about midway between the anterior pair and the posterior margin.