Munida iris A. Milne­Edwards, 1880

De, Gustavo A. S. & Melo-Filho, 2006, Reports on the results of the N. Oc. “ Prof. W. Besnard ” expeditions to the southern coast of Brazil under the Revizee Program: Chirostylidae and Galatheidae (Crustacea: Decapoda: Anomura), Zootaxa 1238, pp. 1-22 : 9-10

Munida iris A. Milne­Edwards, 1880

? Munida caribaea Stimpson, 1860: 244 .

Munida iris A. Milne­Edwards, 1880: 49 ; A. Milne­Edwards & Bouvier, 1894: 256; 1897: 21, pl. 2, figs. 2–7; 1900: 285; Benedict, 1902: 310; Chace, 1942: 33; 1956: 15; Springer & Bullis, 1956: 15; Bullis & Thompson, 1965: 9; Pequegnat & Pequegnat, 1970: 131; Coelho & Ramos, 1972: 171; Williams & Wigley, 1977: 9, figs. 1, 2, tab. 1; Coelho; Ramos­Porto & Calado, 1986: 137, 140, 149; Takeda, 1983: 89; Lemaitre, 1984: 427, tab. 1; Poupin, 1994: 35; Escobar­Briones & Soto, 1993: 111, tabs. 1, 2; Melo­Filho, 1998: 394; Melo, 1999: 188, figs. 117, 118 a–e; Melo­ Filho, 1999: 395, fig. 11; Melo­Filho & Melo 2001a: 1184, fig. 6; 2001b: 1150, figs. 16, 17; 2001c: 45.

? Munida caribaea . — Smith, 1881: 428; 1883: 40, pl. 3, fig. 11; 1884: 355; 1886: 643. [non Munida caribaea A. Milne­Edwards & Bouvier, 1894: 256; 1897: 25 (= Munida irrasa A. Milne­Edwards, 1880 )].

Munida sp. Indet. — Smith, 1882: 22, pl. 10, fig. 1.

Munida iris rutllanti Zariquiey­Alvarez, 1952: 217 , fig. 8

Munida iris iris . — Wenner & Boech, 1979: 110, tab. 1; Wenner, 1982: 322; Williams, 1984: 233, fig. 168; Abele & Kim, 1986: 35, figs. d, e, 403.

Munida rutllanti . — García­Razo, 1996: 738.

Material examined

EUA: New England — USS “Fish Hawk”, est. 871, 207m, 5 ex. (MNHN­969). Brazil: São Paulo — N.Oc. “Prof. W. Besnard”, st. 6684, 511 m, 1 ex. ( MZUSP 13206).

Recognition characters

Carapace with margins arched. Outer orbital spine followed by 6 lateral spines. Gastric area with epigastric row of spines. One parahepatic spine on each side of carapace. Branchial areas armed with 1 or 2 spines on each side. One to 3 postcervical spines on each side, with or without inserted spinules. Remainder of carapace unarmed. Supraocular spines long. Abdominal tergite 2 with anterior margin armed with 1 pair of spines. Remaining abdominal tergites unarmed. Peduncle of antennule with inner terminal spine little longer than outer spine. Peduncle of antenna with segment 1 (basis) armed with 1 inner terminal spine, segment 2 with 1 inner terminal spine and 1 outer terminal spine and segment 3 armed with 1 inner terminal spine. Third maxilliped with long spine on ventral (flexor) margin of merus. Sternum with armed margins.

Distribution

Western Atlantic: Virginia, Carolinas, Gulf of Mexico (southeast coast), Cuba (north coast), Cay Sal Banks, Lesser Antilles ( Barbados), Mexico (off Cozumel), Guiana, Brazil (Alagoas, São Paulo, Rio Grande do Sul) and Uruguay (north of the Rio de la Plata). E astern Atlantic: Gulf of Cadiz, Canaries, African Coast ( Western Sahara, Mauritania), Cape Verde Islands. Western Mediterranean ( Spain, Morocco); 45–1303 meters depth, though usually between 200 and 400 meters.

Remarks

Munida iris is similar to M. irrasa , differing from it in the larger adult, armed second abdominal tergite, and the presence of one spine on the ventral (flexor) margin of the merus of the third maxilliped. Following Zariquiey­Alvarez (1952), most authors treated the eastern Atlantic and Mediterranean populations of M. iris as a subspecies ( M. iris rutllanti ). García­Raso (1996), without presenting justifications, treated M. iris rutllanti as M. rutllanti . The populations of the Mediterranean and eastern Atlantic are not isolated, since the Strait of Gibraltar does not seem to be an effective boundary for most decapods (Almaça 1985; Melo­Filho 1997). Munida iris is a species with an amphi­Atlantic pattern of distribution. That pattern is possible, according to the model of Scheltema (1966, 1968 & 1971), by means of larval transport through the North Atlantic. This also occurs in other species of the genus ( M. microphthalma A. Milne­Edwards and M. sanctipauli Henderson ). The material examined establishes the first record of M. iris off the São Paulo coast.