Miersiella cavifrons Takeda, 1989

Mendoza, Jose Christopher E. & Ng, Peter K. L., 2010, The Euxanthine Crabs (Crustacea: Brachyura: Xanthidae) Of The Philippines, Raffles Bulletin of Zoology 58 (1), pp. 57-74 : 66-68

Miersiella cavifrons Takeda, 1989

( Fig. 2C )

Miersiella haswelli – Serène & Vadon, 1981: 134, Pl. 3 Fig. B, not Medaeus haswelli Miers, 1886 .

Material examined. – 1 male, 8.5 × 6.0 mm (NMCR-27345), Balicasag Island, 50–200 m, coll. local fishermen with tangle nets,

Apri.2004; 1 male, 6.9 × 4.7 mm (NMCR-27346), Stn. B12 , reef slope , 24–27 m, 9°35.6'N 123°43.2'E, Doljo Point, Panglao Is., coll. PANGLAO 2004 Marine Biodiversity Project , 14 Jun.2004 ; 1 male, 4.0 × 2.7 mm (NMCR-27347), Stn. B16 , coral rubble on sand and gravel , 20 m, 9°37.6'N 123°47.3'E, Bingag, Panglao Is., coll. PANGLAO 2004 Marine Biodiversity Project , 17 Jun.2004 ; 1 male, 9.8 × 6.6 mm ( ZRC 2008.1391 ), Stn. L36 , 85 – 90 m, 9°36.7'N 123°45.8'E, Looc, Panglao Is., coll. PANGLAO 2004 Marine Biodiversity Project , 21 Jun.2004 ; 3 females, 5.8 × 4.0 mm to 6.4 × 4.4 mm (NMCR-27348), Stn. L40 , 100 – 120 m, 9°37.3'N 123°46.5'E, Tangnan, Panglao Is., coll. PANGLAO 2004 Marine Biodiversity Project , 24 Jun.2004 ; 3 females, 4.7 × 3.3 mm to 6.6 × 4.6 mm ( ZRC 2008.1392 ), Stn L41 , 90 – 100 m, 9°31.3'N 123°41.2'E, in front of PTA compound, Panglao Is., coll. PANGLAO 2004 Marine Biodiversity Project , 1 Jul.2004 ; 4 males, 3.6 × 2.4 mm to 9.3 × 6.5 mm, 7 females, 3.4 × 2.6 mm to 7.1 × 4.6 mm ( MNHN-B30704 ), Stn. L42 , 80 – 90 m, 9°31.2'N 123°40.7'E, Balicasag Is., coll. PANGLAO 2004 Marine Biodiversity Project , 02 Jul.2004 ; 1 female, 5.4 × 3.8 mm ( ZRC 2008.1393 ), Stn. L44 , 85 – 100 m, 9°30.8'N 123°41.0'E, Balicasag Is., coll. PANGLAO 2004 Marine Biodiversity Project , 3 Jul.2004 ; 1 male, 8.0 × 5.6 mm (NMCR-27349), Stn. L46 , 90 – 110 m, 9°30.9'N 123°41.2'E, Balicasag Is., coll. PANGLAO 2004 Marine Biodiversity Project , 4 Jul.2004 ; 1 male, 4.1 × 3.0 mm, 4 females, 3.4 × 2.5 mm to 6.1 × 4.2 mm (NMCR-27350), Stn. P1 , 90 – 200 m, 9°36.1'N 123°45.0'E, Maribohoc Bay, Bohol Is., coll. PANGLAO 2004 Marine Biodiversity Project , 30 May 2004 ; 1 male, 4.2 × 3.0 mm, 1 female, 3.5 × 2.7 mm ( ZRC 2008.1394 ), Stn. P 2, 400 m, 9°39.0’N 123°43.8’E, Maribohoc Bay, Bohol Is., coll. PANGLAO 2004 Marine Biodiversity Project , 30 May 2004 ; 1 male, 6.7 × 4.8 mm ( ZRC 2008.1395 ), Stn. T1 , mud and many sponges , 83–102 m, 9°32.4'N 123°47.3'E, Bolod, Panglao Is., coll. PANGLAO 2004 Marine Biodiversity Project , 30 May 2004 ; 2 males, 6.9 × 4.7 mm, 7.0 × 4.9 mm, 2 females, 5.5 × 3.8 mm, 5.7 × 3.9 mm ( ZRC 2008.1396 ), Stn. T11 , sponges and muddy sand , 78–95 m, 9°40.9'N 123°50.0'E, Maribohoc Bay, Bohol Is., coll. PANGLAO 2004 Marine Biodiversity Project , 16 Jun.2004 ; 2 males, 6.6 × 4.6 mm, 7.8 × 5.5 mm, 1 female, 5.1 × 3.5 mm, 1 juv., 2.6 × 2.0 mm ( ZRC 2008.1397 ), Stn. T13 , with sponges , 90–100 m, 9°40.5'N 123°49.5'E, Maribohoc Bay, Bohol Is., coll. PANGLAO 2004 Marine Biodiversity Project , 17 Jun.2004 ; 2 males, 6.1 × 4.3 mm, 7.5 × 5.3 mm, 2 females, 4.7 × 3.4 mm, 5.1 × 3.5 mm, 1 juv., 3.2 × 2.1 mm ( ZRC 2008.1398 ), Stn. T38 , sponge bed , 80–140 m, 9°32.3'N 123°42.3'E, Balicasag Is., coll. PANGLAO 2004 Marine Biodiversity Project , 4 Jul.2004 ; 2 males, 8.0 × 5.4 mm, 8.2 × 5.6 mm, 1 juv., 2.3 × 1.9 mm ( ZRC 2008.1399 ), Stn. T41 , 110 – 112 m, 9°29.7'N 123°50.2'E, Cervera Shoal, west of Pamilacan Is., coll. PANGLAO 2004 Marine Biodiversity Project , 6 Jul.2004 .

Comparative material. – Holotype female, 8.7 × 5.7 mm (NSMT-Cr 9723), Stn. 20, coarse sand & shell, 45 m, west side of Nominoura , Oshima Passage , Amami-Oshima , southwestern Japan coll. M Takeda , 6 Aug.1988; paratype male, 5.4 × 3.8 mm (NSMT-Cr 9724), 40–70 m, off Kushimoto , Kii Peninsula, central Japan, coll. S. Nagai, 5 Sep.1979.

Remarks. – This species was first reported from the Philippines by Serène & Vadon (1981) as Miersiella haswelli ( Miers, 1886) . However, the figures they provided did not agree with the known description of Miersiella haswelli , particularly in the form of the first two anterolateral teeth (larger, distally spiniform and curved anteriorly vs. smaller, broadly triangular in Miersiella haswelli ), the ambulatory legs (longer and more slender vs. shorter and stouter in Miersiella haswelli ), and the G1 (longer and more slender, and with a different terminal conformation) (cf. Guinot, 1967a: 359–362, Figs. 17–20; Serène & Vadon, 1981: 134, Figs. 2g –i , 3 , Pl. 3). Takeda (1989: 162, Figs. 12–13) described a new species, Miersiella cavifrons , from one male and one female specimen collected in the Ryukyu Islands and Kii Peninsula in Japan. He, however, made no mention of the report of Serène & Vadon (1981). The present collection agrees well with the illustrations provided by Takeda (1989) and Serène & Vadon (1981). In the current series of specimens, the G1 of the adult males resembles that seen in Serène & Vadon (1981), more than in Takeda (1989), but this can be attributed to the fact that Takeda’s male paratype is still immature and the G1 has not yet developed fully. Comparison of the Philippine specimens with the male paratype and female holotype from Japan confirms this. As such, M. cavifrons is now known from southwestern Japan (Ryukyu Islands) and the Philippines (South China Sea and Bohol Sea). This species is one of the most abundant euxanthine crabs to be collected from the Bohol Sea.

Figures

Fig. 2. Live colouration of euxanthine crabs from the Philippines: A, Hypocolpus haanii Rathbun, 1909, male juv., (11.5 × 8.0 mm) (B11, Pamilacan Is., ZRC 2008.1383); B, Ladomedaeus fungillus Manuel-Santos & Ng, 2007, male juv. (9.7 × 7.0 mm) (CP2708, ZRC 2008.1389); C, Miersiella cavifrons Takeda, 1989, male (9.8 × 6.6 mm) (L36, Panglao Is., ZRC 2008.1391); D, Paramedaeus globosus Serène & Vadon, 1981, male (6.0 × 4.6 mm) (T36, Cervera Shoal, MNHN-B31891); E, Paramedaeus simplex (A. Milne-Edwards, 1873), female (9.7 × 6.8 mm) (S7, Panglao Is., NMCR-27356); F, Paraxanthodes obtusidens (Sakai, 1965), male (18.6 × 13.0 mm) (CP2747, ZRC 2008.1410).

Fig. 3. Hypocolpus abbotti (Rathbun, 1894), male, (41.6 by 28.7 mm) (Balicasag Is., MNHN-B31888): A, dorsal view; B, fronto-lateral view of subhepatic cavity; Hypocolpus haanii Rathbun, 1909, male (49.5 × 34.5 mm) (Balicasag Is., NMCR-27339); C, dorsal view; D, fronto-lateral view of subhepatic cavity; Hypocolpus kurodai Takeda, 1980, male (21.0 × 13.5 mm) (Marinduque, NMCR-6609); E, dorsal view; F, fronto-lateral view of subhepatic cavity.