Phrygiopilus ibarrai ( Pretzmann, 1978 )

Magalhães, Célio & Wehrtmann, Ingo S., 2025, Taxonomic revision and distribution of the freshwater crabs of the family Pseudothelphusidae (Decapoda, Brachyura) from Guatemala, with the descriptions of two new species and keys to the species of all genera, Zoosystema 47 (26), pp. 581-615 : 592-593

Phrygiopilus ibarrai ( Pretzmann, 1978)

( Figs 4 F-I; 15)

Isabellagordonia ( Phrygiopilus) acanthophalla ibarrai Pretzmann, 1978: 3 ; 1980: 659, pl. 9 figs 37-41, pl. 18 fig. 80 [see Remarks].

Phrygiopilus ibarrai – Rodríguez 2001: 437, fig. 2. — Ng et al. 2008: 176 (in list). — Wehrtmann et al. 2016: 779 (in list). — Acevedo-Alonso & Cumberlidge 2022: 581 (Appendix 2, in list).

Phrygiopilus acanthophalla ibarrai – Villalobos Hiriart & Álvarez 2008: 297 (in list).

Phrygiopilus chuacusensis – Wehrtmann et al. 2016: 779 (in list) (part, spec. from Zacapa).

TYPE MATERIAL EXAMINED. — Holotype. Guatemala • 1 ♂ (25.7:16.5); Guatemala, 14 km south of Guatemala City, north of San José Pinula ; [ 14°33’N, 90°25’W]; 1800 m elev.; 20.IV.1975; Dr I. Poglayen-Neuwall leg. through Germán Ibarra; NHMW 4065 .

OTHER MATERIAL EXAMINED. — Guatemala • 1 ♂; collecting data unknown; UVGCR 441 • 1 ♂ (31.4:18.7) 2 ♀ (18.1:9.9; 38.1:20.0); Baja Verapaz, ruta 5 (antigua carretera a Salamá), Río Quililá (tributary to Río Negro or Chixoy) ; 15°12’53”N, 90°17’39”W; 1305 m elev.; 20.VII.2014; I. S. Wehrtmann & M. Orozco leg.; UCR-MZ uncat . • 1 ♂; Zacapa, Río Hondo, Aldea San Lorenzo [ 15°07’N, 89°38’W], municipality Río Hondo, Sierra de Las Minas ; 1800 m elev.; 7.XI.1986; leg. unknown; UVGCR 348 .

DISTRIBUTION. — Guatemala ( Alta Verapaz, Guatemala, Zacapa) ( Pretzmann 1978; Rodríguez 2001; Wehrtmann et al. 2016; this study) ( Fig. 15).

OTHER RECORDS IN GUATEMALA. — Rodríguez (2001): department of Guatemala, km 30 on road from San José Pinula [ 14°32’00.66”N, 90°23’09.32”W; 1735 m elev.] to Mataquesquintla.

DESCRIPTION OF G1 ( Fig. 4 F-I)

Stem moderately sinuous, distal portion markedly curved in laterocephalic direction, compressed in caudocephalic direction, approximately the same width along the entire stem in mesocaudal view; caudal margin, in mesocaudal view, concave, lateral lobe indistinct; cephalic margin convex in mesocaudal view. Marginal plate fused subdistally to caudal surface. Marginal suture on mesial surface gently following the curvature of the stem, distinctly curved towards lateral side distally in mesial view; row of long setae along proximal portion of marginal suture. Marginal process wide, broadly rounded in mesocaudal view, not overreaching mesocaudal margin of apex. Lateral suture incomplete, marked by sulcus along first 3/4 of caudal surface, shallower distally. Mesial process asymmetrically bilobed, larger lobe rounded, at base of supra-apical process, directed cephalad. Cephalic process absent. Mesial surface produced into a rounded supra-apical process densely covered with short spines along its widened margins, patch of spines denser distally. Supra-apical process with cephalic surface distinctly folded proximally, concave medianly; mesocaudal surface smooth, slightly concave.Supra-apical process relatively short, length ranging approximately from 0.2 to 0.3 times G1’s length in mesocaudal view, nearly as long as wide (ratio width/length roughly 1.0 to 1.3); tip rounded. Apex oblong, elongated mesolaterally, directed cephalad. Field of apical spines poorly developed, narrow, elongated mesolaterally, with minute spines.

REMARKS

Phrygiopilus ibarrai is morphologically very similar to Ph. acanthophallus and their currently known distributions partially overlap in the departments of Baja Verapaz and Zacapa. They are mainly distinguished by the morphology of the G1’s mesial process, which is bilobed and sometimes rounded in Ph. ibarrai ( Fig. 4F, H, I) vs unilobed and acute in Ph. acanthophallus ( Fig. 4 A-C). In Ph. ibarrai , the length of the supra-apical process tends to be shorter than in Ph. acanthophallus , but this process was also relatively short in a few specimens of Ph. acanthophallus examined by us (e.g., male INPA 2181 – Fig. 4C). Whether these taxa represent a species complex remains to be better evaluated when a larger series of specimens is available from their distributional area.

The difference in the mesial process (bilobed, rounded in Ph. ibarrai vs unilobed, acute in Ph. acanthophallus ) seems to be consistent but, curiously, specimens of both species were collected by one of us (ISW) in the same location and date (Río Quilila, a tributary to Río Negro or Chixoy, department of Baja Verapaz, near the bridge of the “ruta 5”, the old road to Salamá, 15°12’53”N, 90°17’39”W, 20.VII.2014): whereas the male from INPA 2473 was determined as Ph. acanthophallus , that of the lot UCR-MZ uncat., is determined as Ph. ibarrai . The species could perhaps be part of the species complex that includes Ph. acanthophallus .

It is important to note that Pretzmann (1980: 659) mixed up the captions of the illustration for this species with those for Potamocarcinus ( Zilchia) zilchi germani (see Pretzmann 1980: 658). The correct information for Isabellagordonia ( Phrygiopilus) acanthophalla ibarrai in Pretzmann (1980: 659) should be: “plate 9 figs 37-41, plate 18 fig. 80” (CM, pers. observation).