Uroptychus politus, (HENDERSON, 1885)

Schnabel, Kareen E., 2009, A review of the New Zealand Chirostylidae (Anomura: Galatheoidea) with description of six new species from the Kermadec Islands, Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 155 (3), pp. 542-582 : 564

UROPTYCHUS POLITUS ( HENDERSON, 1885)

Diptychus politus Henderson, 1885: 420 [type locality: Kermadec Islands , 28° 33.00′S, 177° 50.00′W, 1098 m, 15.vii.1874, Challenger stn 171].

Uroptychus politus . – Henderson, 1888: 178, pl. 6: fig 2 a, b. – Thomson, 1899: 196 (list). – Baba, 1974: 387, fig. 5. – Baba, 2005: 219 (key), 230 (list).

Type material: 1 ovig. ♀, syntype, (7.2 mm), Kermadec Islands , 28° 33.00′S, 177° 50.00′W, 1098 m, 15.vii.1874, Challenger stn 171 ( BMNH 1888 : 33) .

Diagnosis: Carapace distinctly longer than broad, smooth and unarmed on dorsal surface; lateral margin unarmed, convexly divergent posteriorly; anterolateral spine relatively small, distinctly posterior to lateral orbital spine. Rostrum narrow triangular. Corneal width distinctly more than half length of ocular peduncle. Sternal plastron approximately as long as broad; sternite 3 posteriorly delimited by weakly convex depression, anterior margin moderately concave with small median notch flanked by submedian spines; sternite 4 smooth on ventral surface, anteriorly ending in tooth, not reaching anterior end of sternite 3. Abdomen smooth and unarmed. Antenna slender, articles 4 and 5 unarmed; antennal scale not reaching beyond midlength of article 5. Ischium of maxilliped 3 mesial ridge with mostly obsolescent spines; other segments unarmed. Pereopod 1 (cheliped) three times as long as carapace; merus and carpus with pair of stout ventrodistal spines, ischium with small distodorsal spine. Pereopods 2–4 meri and carpi smooth dorsally; propodi with pair of terminal spines preceded by row of five to seven spines along distal half to two-thirds, flexor margin without convex distal margin; dactyli without fringe of plumose setae, with sharp triangular spines on flexor margin, distal two slightly separated from third.

Remarks: Two specimens (a male and a female) of Uroptychus politus were recorded by Henderson (1885) but only the female and a single left cheliped remain of the type series.

Distribution: Presently known only from west of the Kermadec Islands at 1098 m ( Fig. 5 ).

Figures

Figure 5. Records of Uroptychodes spinimarginatus (Henderson, 1885), Uroptychus alcocki Ahyong & Poore, 2004, Uroptychus australis (Henderson, 1885), Uroptychus novaezelandiae Borradaile, 1916, Uroptychus maori Borradaile, 1916, Uroptychus politus (Henderson, 1885), Uroptychus scambus Benedict, 1902, and Uroptychus sp. around New Zealand. Solid symbols indicate type records. 250, 1000, and 2500 m bathymetric contours are shown.