Homola ikedai Sakai, 1979

Forges, Bertrand Richer De & Ng, Peter K. L., 2008, New western Pacific records of Homolidae De Haan, 1839, with descriptions of new species of Homolochunia Doflein, 1904, and Latreillopsis Henderson, 1888 (Crustacea: Decapoda: Brachyura), Zootaxa 1967, pp. 1-35 : 5

Homola ikedai Sakai, 1979

( Fig. 2A–D)

Homola ikedai Sakai, 1979: 3 , fig. 1b, 3c, pl. frontispiece Fig. 1. — Guinot & Richer de Forges 1981: 534, pl. 8, fig. 1, 1a. — Guinot & Richer de Forges 1995: 338, fig. 9c, 11 c–d, 12C, 13f. — Richer de Forges & Ng 2007: 30, figs. 1B, 2. – Ng et al. 2008: 40.

Homola dickinsoni — Takeda & Manuel-Santos 2007: 87, fig. 3D.

Material examined. Japan: Sagami Bay , off Johgashima, 200–220 m, 13 March 1990: 1 ovigerous female (19.5 x 16.6 mm) (WMNH-Na-Cr0053) . Solomon Islands: SALOMONBOA cruise, stn. CP 2828, 10°27.40’S 161°58.76’E, 173–379 m, 20 September 2007: 1 male (11.3 x 9.4 mm) ( MNHN-B31279 ) . Vanuatu: Espiritu Santo I., SANTO 2006, stn. AT 10, 15°41.1’S 167°00.5’E, 509–659 m, 17 September 2006: 1 male (11.2 x 9.2 mm) ( MNHN-B31280 ) . — Stn. AT 70, 15°40.7’S 167°00.5’E, 517–614 m, 7 October 2006: 1 male (12.3 x 10.0 mm) ( ZRC 2008.0977 ) .— Stn. AT 73, 15°40.8’S 167°00.5’E, 514–636 m, 7 October 2006: 1 female (13.6 x 11.3 mm) ( MNHN-B31281 ) .

Remarks. The small specimen from Solomon Islands agrees well with the Japan and Vanuatu material. In particular, the strong anterolateral spines diverge at the same angle as the Japanese specimens (see comments about the variations of this spine in Richer de Forges & Ng 2007). The present new record for H. ikedai is an extension of the range to the south and east.

The Vanuatu specimens were collected in traps during in situ experiments to study the fauna of sunken wood. The traps were left on the bottom at about 600 m deep for almost one year. There were totally covered by a fine mesh of 3 mm so that the organisms inside the traps must have arrived as larvae and these Homola ikedai specimens are therefore no more 10 months old. The depth range observed for H. ikedai is 200 to 659 m (see Richer de Forges & Ng 2007).