Uca (Austruca) perplexa (H. Milne Edwards, 1852 )

Naderloo, Reza, Türkay, Michael & Chen, Hui-Lian, 2010, Taxonomic revision of the wide-front fiddler crabs of the Uca lactea group (Crustacea: Decapoda: Brachyura: Ocypodidae) in the Indo-West Pacific, Zootaxa 2500, pp. 1-38 : 24-30

Uca (Austruca) perplexa (H. Milne Edwards, 1852)

( Figs. 16 a–g, 17a, b, 18c–f)

Gelasimus perplexus H. Milne Edwards 1852: 150 .

Gelasimus annulipes — Kingsley 1880: 148.

Uca annulipes var. orientalis — Nobili 1901: 13, 14, fig. A. — Maccagno 1928: 36, fig. 21. Uca lactea — Musgrave 1929: 342, 343 [as lacteae]. — Boone 1934: 199, pl. 103.

Uca (Celuca) lactea perplexa — Crane 1975: 300. figs. 18D–F, 19B–H, 20A–C, 26D, 31E, 54K, 69C, Pl. 39E–F. —

Miyake 1983: 163, pl. 55. fig. 1.

Uca (Celuca) lactea lactea — T. Sakai 1976: 608. [part.]

Uca (Celuca) lactea annulipes — T. Sakai 1976: 608. [non Gelasimus annulipes H. Milne Edwards, 1837 .]

Uca lactea perplexa — Shih et al. 1999: 170.

Uca perplexa — Naiyanetr 1980: 43 (in list). — George & Jones 1982: 10 (in key), 83–86, figs. 6, 7b, 54a–f, 58e. — Ng et al. 2001: 37 (in list). — Davie 2002: 362. — Naiyanetr 2007: 132 (in list). — Shih et al. 2009: 377.

Material examined. India: 1 male (UZM), Nicobar Islands, leg. Reinhardt, "Galathea"-Expedition. Thailand: 1 male (UZM), Malay Peninsula, 1915; 1 male (UZM), Koh Chang, stony coast at low water, 0 1.1900, leg. T. Mortensen.

Cambodia: 4 males, 1 female (UZM), Lam Ngob, mangrove swamp, 23– 27.12.1899, 1eg. T. Mortensen.

Japan: 1 male (SMF 35021), exact locality unknown, ded. K. Sakai; 1 male (SMF 35022), exact locality unknown, ded. K. Sakai; 1 male, 1 female (SMF 35023), exact locylity unknown, ded. K. Sakai; 3 males (SMF 35024), Ryukyu Islands, Kabira, Ishigaki Island, November 1971, coll. Sakurai, ded. K. Sakai; 2 females (SMF 35018), Amami-Oshima, Tekebu, 24.07.1966, ded. K. Sakai; 4 males (SMF 35025), Okinawa, ded. K. Sakai; 50 males, 24 females (1 ovig.) (SMF 35012), Ryukyu Archipelago, Yaeyama Islands, Ishigakijima, April 1973, leg. Y. Ono, ded. K. Sakai; 3 males, 3 males (SMF 35019), Ryukyu Archipelago, Yaeyama Islands, Ishigaki-jima, ded. K. Sakai; 15 males, 2 females (SMF 35020), Yaeyama Islands, Ishigaki-jima, Aichi, 12.02.1995, ded. K. Sakai; 10 males (SMF 17147), Yaeyama Islands, Ishigaki-jima, 1eg. T. Sakai; 4 males, 3 females (SMF 17146), same locality, 0 7.1971, leg. K. Sakai; 16 males, 10 females (SMF 35014), Yaeyama Islands, Irimote-jima, Ohara, April 1973, Y. Ono, ded. K. Sakai; 4 males (SMF 35015), K. Sakai; 3 males, 1 female (SMF 35016), Iriomote-jima, Ohara, K. Sakai; 3 males, 1 female (SMF 35017), Iriomotejima, Ohara, K. Sakai.

Singapore: 4 males (UZM), Putan Sudang, tidal zone, bottom coral reef, 19.05.1951 ["Galathea"- Expedition. Stat. 337.]

Indonesia: 2 males (SMF 5680), Sumatra, Sipora, 1eg. Maass; 1 male (ZMG 101), Noordwachter Isl. (= Pulo Sebiri) E. of Lampong, 04-05.1885, 1eg. J. Brock; 1 male (UZM), Padang, 1eg. Djellerus; 2 males (ZSM), Java, 1929; 3 males (MNHN B12006), 1 male (MNHN B12008), 1 male (MNHN B12009), 1 male (MNHN B12010), Jakarta, 1eg. Blecker; 7 males, 1 female (UZM), Tjilatjap; 3 males, 1 female (UZM), Soelyi, mangrove beach, 0 1.04.1909, "T. Mortensne's Java expedition"; 1 male (ZMG 100), Borneo, Pontianac, 1894, 1eg. Storm; 1 male (MNHN), E. coast, delta of Makaham river, Senipah, 10.1986, 1eg. Detrieux; 3 males (NHMB 575), Celebes, Kema, 1894, ded. Sarasin; 6 males (ZSM), W-Flores, mangrove beach; 1 male (UZM), Banda Archipelago, Lontor, coast near Lavvande, sand, 0 6.06.1922, "Danish expedition to Kei Islands 1922"; 1 male (MNHN B11882), Aroe islands, 0 6.1959, 1eg. Lorpuin; 3 males (ZMG 99), Molucca Archipelago, Ambon, 07–09.1885 1eg. J. Brock; 4 male (SMF 5677), Ternate, 1894, leg. W. Kükenthal; 1 male (NNM 32609), W. New Guinea, Mangroves near Kampong Mandong, between Mokmer and Bosnek, SE Biak, 20.03.1955, 1eg. L. B. Holthuis.

Papua New Guinea: 1 male (NHMB 574d), Bismarck Archipelago, Tatau Island near New Ireland, 1933, ded. A. Bühler; 5 males (ZMH K5768), New Britain, Gazelle Peninsula, Blanche bay, W. coast of volcanic island, 0 4.08.1908, 1eg. G. Duncker.

Australia: 1 male (SMF 17149), Queensland, Bribie Island, N. of Brisbane, W. coast, Banksia beach, mangroves at Dux creek, 31.05.1980, leg. M. Türkay; 10 males, 2 females (ZMH), 3 males (SMF 17148), Tannum Sands 25 km from Gladstone, sand mangroves, 28.01.1976, leg. G. Hartmann & G. Hartmann- Schröder; 1 male (SMF 17158), Innisfail, 28.04.1957, 1eg. H. Felten; 4 males, 1 female (SMF 17150), Yarrabah NE of Cairns, beach, sand mangroves, 0 6.06.1980, leg. M. Türkay; 3 males, 2 females (SMF 17151), Yule point near Port Douglas, N. of Cairns, mangroves, 0 8.06.1980, 1eg. M. Türkay.

Solomon Islands: 2 males (MNHN B11968).

Vanuatu: 2 males (MNHN B7917), New Hebrides, 0 3.10.1971, leg. R. Seréne.

New Caledonia: 6 males (MNHN B12011); 4 males (MNHN B12013), 1862; 2 males (MNHN B12007), 1903, leg. A. Milne Edwards; 1 male (MNHN B20301), St. 26, 26.09.1978; 1 male (UZM), mouth of Duinbea river, mangrove swamp, 0 4.12.1928 ["Dana"-Station 3618]; 3 males (MNHN B20307), 22.09.1978; 22 males (MNHN B9473), Route de Oucos, 4 km from Noumea, 0 8.08.1971, leg. R. Seréne.

Fiji: 1 male (Ex ZMH K3184); 3 males, 3 females (UZM), Nukumaroreko Isl., Suva Bay, 18° 07'S, 178° 24'E, below high water mark on dry sand, 1eg. T. Wolf.

Tonga: 1 male (ZMH K2914); 2 males (UZM), Nukualofa, intertidal, 0 1.1956, leg. Mischele.

Samoa: 1 male (ZMH K2909); 1 male (ZMH K2915); 4 males (SMF 5675), 1904, leg. Hauck; 1 male (SMF 17153), Upolu, vend. Mus. Goddefroy.

Pacific Ocean: 1 male (UZM), Mus. Goddefroy, ded. Wroblewsky; 1 male (ZMK Cr.1528), 1876, leg. G. Jantzen.

Wrong or doubtful localities: 1 male (ZNIH K2938), "South Atlantic".

Unknown locality: 4 males (ZMH K6748), vend. J. Umlauff, 0 4.03.1914.

Diagnosis. Front broad. Anterolateral borders moderately convergent. Major male chela with palm bearing a supramarginal groove adjacent to lower border, beset with short setae ( Figs. 16 a, b). G1 ( Fig. 16 d) with palp long, clearly reaching beyond base of horny endpiece; this last one has inclined flanges, strongly folded towards dorsal direction in comparison to the stem ( Fig. 16 f); terminal opening of sperm channel at base of shallow emargination of the distal margin ( Fig. 16 e). Genital opening of female ( Fig. 16 g) and thus also direction of opercle edge oblique in respect to median line of sternum.

Distribution. Eastern Indian Ocean (from the Nicobar Is. eastward), western and central Pacific Ocean as far north as the Ryukyu Islands to Amami-Oshima. In Australia, the species is distributed throughout the east coast reaching its southern limit around Trial Bay in southern New South Wales.

Remarks. Crane (1975) reported one or two intermediate individuals from north-central Philippines, and believed that these emerged from hybridization between U. perplexa and U. annulipes . She referred mainly to the intermediate form of the G1 of these specimens, and mentioned that interbreeding occurs between these two species in Sunda Shelf. Subsequently, Barnwell (1980) examined specimens of U. perplexa and U. annulipes from Jakarta, Indonesia, and found three different forms contributing to U. perplexa , U. annulipes and an intermediate form. He believed that all three are distinct species, but this intermediate form never has been described as a new species. We examined numerous specimens of U. perplexa from different locations within its distribution as far as South Australia and Japan, including areas where it was thought to occur sympatrically with U. annulipes . Uca perplexa deserves specific rank, as G1 and the female genital opening are in all cases different from U. annulipes and allies, also from U. lactea and U. mjoebergi . The strong torsion of the endpiece, together with its prominent emargination is especially distinctive in Uca perplexa . The corresponding shape of the female genital opening also allows the recognition of females. The median tooth plate of the gastric mill is a further character that is used to separate this species from its congeners. We, therefore, do not agree with Crane’s (1975) hypothesis that interbreeding occurs between U. perplexa , and U. annulipes . However, U. perplexa is morphologically more similar to U. lactea than to U. annulipes . They share similarities in the G1, major chela of the male and the morphology of the median tooth plate of the gastric mill. Genetic results of Shih et al. (2009) support this idea by grouping U. perplexa with U. lactea in the same clade (Clade E by Shih et al. 2009). They also treated U. perplexa as a good species as did George & Jones (1982).

Figures

FIGURES 16. Uca perplexa (H. Milne Edwards, 1852): a, male (UZM), Indonesia, Soelyi; b – f, male (UZM]), Cambodia, Lam Ngob; g, female (SMF 17146) Japan, Ryukyu Islands. a, major chela, outer surface. b, major chela, outer surface; c, major chela, inner surface; d, G 1, lateral surface; e, apical part of G 1, lateral surface; f, apical part of G 1, mesial surface; g, genital opening of female.