Latreillia pennifera Alcock, 1900

Arzivian, Arteen, Alrubaie, Ahmad, Yang, Jessica, Lin, Huiyu, Zhang, Eva & Leong, Rupert, 2022, Crabs (Crustacea, Decapoda) from the Seas of East and Southeast Asia Collected by the RV Hakuhō Maru (KH- 72 - 1 Cruise) 4. South China Sea, Bulletin of the National Museum of Nature and Science. Series A, Zoology 48 (4), pp. 147-191 : 149-151

Latreillia pennifera Alcock, 1900

Material examined. RV Hakuhō Maru KH-72-1 cruise, sta. 48, 4 ƏƏ ( CB 5.5× PCL 9.1 mm to 6.1× 9.6 mm), 4 ovig.88 (6.7×11.0 mm to 7.6× 11.8 mm), NSMT-Cr 30900.

Remarks. The genus Latreillia was extensively revised by Williams (1982) and divided into two genera, Latreillia s.s. with the P5 propodus fringed with feather-like setae, and a new genus, Eplumura, with the P5 propodus lacking the conspicuous fringe of setae.

The specimen identified as L. pennifera is without doubt referred to Latreillia which comprises L. elegans Roux, 1830 (= L. manningi Williams, 1982 as a synonym) from the Atlantic and Mediterranean Sea, L. williamsi Melo, 1990 from off Brazil, and three Indo-Pacific species, L. valida De Haan, 1839 , L. pennifera Alcock, 1900 and L. metanesa Williams, 1982 . These species were well figured by Williams (1982) and Castro et al. (2003) based on numerous specimens forming two groups, one with and the other without a dorsal spine on the neck. The present specimen shares the absence of the dorsal spine together with two Atlantic species and L. pennifera from the Indo-West Pacific. In the two Atlantic species, the dactylus of the last leg (P5) forms a subchela with subdistal spinules of the propodus. Latreillia pennifera is seemingly close to L. valida , but in addition to the distinctive differences mentioned above, the carapace is less stout, with the longer and slender neck, as figured by Alcock (1901: pl. 7 fig. 27) and Castro et al. (2003: fig. 10).

Distribution. Known localities are mostly in the Indian Ocean from the Gulf of Martaban and the Mergui Archipelago to South Africa, and otherwise recorded from the Kai Islands , Indonesia, and Mindanao, the Philippines. Its bathymetric range is 37– 229 m.