Tanaoa kuka, Galil, Bella S. & Ng, Peter K. L., 2015

Galil, Bella S. & Ng, Peter K. L., 2015, Leucosiid crabs from Papua New Guinea, with descriptions of eight new species (Crustacea: Decapoda: Brachyura), Zootaxa 4027 (4), pp. 451-486 : 462-463

publication ID

https://doi.org/ 10.11646/zootaxa.4027.4.1

publication LSID

lsid:zoobank.org:pub:3B32D183-45BA-41F9-82A9-C9C108D53899

DOI

https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.6102264

persistent identifier

https://treatment.plazi.org/id/8870B305-E33A-4C1B-9699-F8B4897A8B60

treatment provided by

Plazi

scientific name

Tanaoa kuka
status

sp. nov.

Tanaoa kuka View in CoL sp. nov.

( Figs. 4 View FIGURE 4 F, 13, 15A–E)

Material examined. Holotype: male (33.0 mm) (MNHN-IU-2013-7963), stn CP3984, Bismarck Sea, northwest Long I., 05°12'S 146°59'E, 500 m, 6.12.2012. Paratypes: 3 males (32.4 mm, 33.8 mm, 32.5 mm) (MNHN-IU- 2013-17899), 1 male (33.1 mm) ( ZRC 2015.271), same data as holotype; 1 immature male (18.9 mm) (MNHN-IU- 2013-8886), stn CP3979, north Bagabag Is, 04°44'S 146°11'E, 540–580 m, Bismarck Sea, 5.12.2012.

Comparative material. Tanaoa distinctus (Rathbun, 1894) : 1 male (37.5 mm), 1 female ( ZRC 2000.535), station 34, TC33, Hawaiian Islands, coll. Townsend Cromwell. Tanaoa serenei (Richer de Forges, 1983): 1 male (33.2 mm) ( ZRC 2000.565), Tumon Bay, Guam, 400 m, in fishtrap, coll. S. Annesbury, 10.1999.

Description. Carapace rounded, slightly longer than wide, globose; cardiac, intestinal regions laterally demarcated by grooves ( Fig. 13 View FIGURE 13 A). Dorsal surface covered densely by rounded granules of various sizes, granules somewhat larger, conical, on branchial regions; 4 pairs of pits along branchiocardiac line ( Fig. 13 View FIGURE 13 A, B). Intestinal region swollen, medially marked with granular tubercle, directed posteriorly ( Fig. 13 View FIGURE 13 A). Front narrow, slightly produced, upturned, closely set with granules, divided into 2 subtriangular lobes by minutely setose gap ( Fig. 13 View FIGURE 13 A– C). Eyes small, retractable within orbit, setose eyestalk exposed. Outer orbital margin with 3 sutures. V-shaped gap proximally on ventral margin. Antennular fossae below frontal lobes oblique, antennules obliquely folded, basal antennular operculiform, sealing lower half of antennular aperture when retracted. Antennae small, slender, basal antennal article inserted in orbital hiatus. Postorbital region concave. Anterior margin of efferent branchial channel convex, produced, bilobed, separated by narrow groove from lower orbital margin. Outer surface of third maxillipeds granular, granules more closely set, larger anteriorly, forming granular ridge mesially on ischium ( Fig. 13 View FIGURE 13 B, C).

Subhepatic region produced, angular, furnished with subconical granules, medially with granular tubercle ( Fig. 13 View FIGURE 13 B, C). Epibranchial margin with 3 equidistant granular tubercles ( Fig. 13 View FIGURE 13 A). Posterolateral margins rounded. Posterior margin of carapace narrow, laterally with 2 prominently granular tubercles ( Fig. 13 View FIGURE 13 A).

Chelipeds slender, subequal, covered with small granules on all articles, including fingers ( Fig. 13 View FIGURE 13 A, F). Cheliped merus, subcylindrical, 1.2 as long as carapace; palm subcylindrical, 0.6 as long as merus, fingers 0.6 as long as dorsal margin of palm, inner margins obsoletely denticulate. Ambulatory legs slender; decreasing in size posteriorly; merus, carpus, propodus granular, granules more prominent dorsally; dorsal surface of dactylus setose, dactylar tips corneous ( Fig. 13 View FIGURE 13 G).

Thoracic sternites ( Fig. 13 View FIGURE 13 D) closely set with flattened granules. Male abdominal cavity deep, nearly reaching buccal cavity, anterior margin ogive, slightly raised ( Fig. 13 View FIGURE 13 C, D). Male abdomen triangular, elongated; abdominal somites 1, 2 transversely narrow; somite 1 yoke-like, somite 2 medially convex as it fits into cavity of somite 1; somites 3–6 fused, proximo-lateral regions inflated, granular, distal margin with triangular denticle; telson slender, 1/3 as long as fused somites, not reaching tip of abdominal cavity ( Fig. 13 View FIGURE 13 D). G1 elongated, slightly sinuous, attenuate, with small but distinct preapical bifurcated snout-like process perpendicular to tip, opening facing dorsally ( Fig. 15A–D View FIGURE 15. A – E ); G2 short, distally scoop-like ( Fig. 15E View FIGURE 15. A – E ).

Colour in life. Dorsal surface of carapace and chelipeds bright orange-red. Ambulatory legs pale, meri banded in red ( Fig. 4 View FIGURE 4 F).

Etymology. Kuka for “crab” in Tok Pisin, the Pidgin language spoken in Papua New Guinea. The name is used as a noun in apposition.

Remarks. See discussion for T. retpela sp. nov.

Geographical distribution. This species is known only from the type location, Papua New Guinea.

ZRC

Zoological Reference Collection, National University of Singapore

Kingdom

Animalia

Phylum

Arthropoda

Class

Malacostraca

Order

Decapoda

InfraOrder

Brachyura

Family

Leucosiidae

SubFamily

Ebaliinae

Genus

Tanaoa

GBIF Dataset (for parent article) Darwin Core Archive (for parent article) View in SIBiLS Plain XML RDF