Homola orientalis Henderson, 1888

Ng, Peter K. L., Forges, Bertrand Richer De & Martin, Joel W., 2020, The Homolidae of the Hawaiian Islands, with notes on the taxonomy of Moloha major (Kubo, 1936) (Crustacea: Decapoda: Brachyura), Zootaxa 4809 (2), pp. 306-328 : 307-308

Homola orientalis Henderson, 1888

( Fig. 1 A–E)

Homola orientalis Henderson, 1888: 19 , pl. 2 fig. 1, 1a (see Guinot & Richer de Forges 1995: 331, for complete synonymy prior to 1995); Ikeda 1998: 22, 60, 61; Tan et al. 2000: 182, 183; Ng et al. 2001: 6; Takeda & Manuel-Santos 2007: 88, fig. 3B; Richer de Forges & Ng 2007: 30; Ng et al. 2008: 40; Richer de Forges & Ng 2008: 6 ; Ahyong et al. 2009: 79, figs. 49, 50; Garassino 2009: 13; Castro 2011: 34 ; Wang et al. 2013: 1409; Ng & Richer de Forges 2017: 243 ; Wang et al. 2017: appendix 1; Ng et al. 2017: 27.

Material examined. Hawaiian Islands: 1 male, 1 female ( BPBM S1981.136 ), cruise TC 35, station 1, coll. RV Townsend Cromwell, trawl, 1968.— 2 males (larger 55.5 × 42.9 mm), 2 females ( BPBM S1981.136 ), cruise TC35, station 3, coll. RV Townsend Cromwell, trawl, 1968.— 1 juvenile female ( BPBM), cruise TC 35, station 31, coll. RV Townsend Cromwell, trawl, 1968.— 1 juvenile ( BPBM, broken), cruise TC 35, station 32, coll. RV Townsend Cromwell, trawl, 1968.—1 ovigerous female (47.3 × 35.1 mm) ( BPBM), cruise TC 36, station 11, coll. RV Townsend Cromwell, trawl, 1968.— 1 male ( BPBM), cruise TC 36, station 24, coll. RV Townsend Cromwell, trawl, 1968.—1 young male ( BPBM), cruise TC 40, station 5, coll. RV Townsend Cromwell, trawl, 1968.— 1 male (47.4 × 37.4 mm) ( ZRC 1997.0444 ) , 1 female ( BPBM), cruise TC40, station 43, in area of Maui and Molokai, coll. RV Townsend Cromwell, trawl, 1968.—1 young male ( BPBM), cruise TC 40, station 44, coll. RV Townsend Cromwell, trawl, 1968.—1 dried young male ( BPBM), cruise TC 40, station 49, coll. RV Townsend Cromwell, trawl, 1968.— 1 male ( BPBM), cruise TC 40, station 52, coll. RV Townsend Cromwell, trawl, 1968.— 1 male ( BPBM), cruise TC 40, station 54, 21°01.6’ N; 156°43’ W, 223 m, coll. RV Townsend Cromwell, trawl, 18 November 1968.— 1 male, 1 female ( BPBM), cruise TC 40, station 99, coll. RV Townsend Cromwell, trawl, 1968.—1 ovigerous female (32.5 × 24.9 mm) ( BPBM), cruise TC 52, station 72, coll. RV Townsend Cromwell, trawl, 1968.— 1 male ( BPBM), cruise TC 52, station 74, coll. RV Townsend Cromwell, trawl, 1968.— 1 juvenile ( BPBM), cruise TC 60, station 1, coll. RV Townsend Cromwell, trawl, 1968.—1 dried male ( BPBM S8498 ), off Laie, O‘ahu, 365.8 m, from trap, G. Donner 15 May 1974 .— 1 male (37.8 × 24.5 mm) ( ZRC 2000.0445 ), off Maui, 256 m, coll. D. Takaoka from fishing boat, January 2000 (photograph voucher).—1 ovigerous female (34.7 × 28.1 mm) (LACM-MBC-5515), reef slope, FFS- 0016, DRS-2, BAIT-3, 23.761°N 166.391°W– 23.757°N 166.388°W, NWI , French Frigate Shoals, NWI , 143–262 m, baited trap, coll. R . Moffitt, K. Coontz , T . Lotufo, E. Soto, L. Harris & C. Pittman, 12 October 2001 (photograph voucher JM0060 ).—1 ovigerous female (44.6 × 37.8 mm) (LACM-MBC-5514), reef slope, FFS-0014, DRS-2, BAIT-2, 23.773°N 166.389°W– 23.772°N 166.389°W, NWI , French Frigate Shoals, NWI , 134–187 m, baited trap, coll. R . Moffitt, K. Coontz , T . Lotufo, E. Soto, L. Harris, C. Pitman & J. Martin , 12 October 2006 (photograph voucher JM0048 ) .— 1 male (47.7 × 38.1 mm), 3 ovigerous females (40.9 × 34.4 mm, 35.1 × 29.5 mm, 38.9 × 32.4 mm) (LACM-MBC-5514), reef slope, FFS-0015, DRS-2, BAIT-2, 23.773°N 166.389°W– 23.772°N 166.389°W, French Frigate Shoals , NWI , 134–187 m, baited trap, coll. R . Moffitt, K. Coontz , T . Lotufo, E. Soto, L. Harris, C. Pittman & J. Martin, 12 October 2006 (photograph voucher JM0049 ).—1 ovigerous female (39.3 × 32.3 mm) (LACM-MBC-5682), reef slope, FFS-0185, DRS-15, BAIT-2, 23.887°N 166.136°W– 23.886°N 166.135°W, French Frigate Shoals , NWI , 228– 215 m, baited trap, coll. R . Moffitt, K. Coontz , T . Lotufo, E. Soto, A. Collins, C. Pittman, J. Martin & E. Keenan , 25 October 2006 (photograph voucher JM0270 ) .

Remarks. As has been suggested by several authors, Homola orientalis is probably a species complex rather than a single widespread species that occurs across the Indian Ocean and Indo-West Pacific ( Guinot & Richer de Forges 1995; Richer de Forges & Ng 2007, 2008). Guinot & Richer de Forges (1981, 1995) and Richer de Forges & Ng (2008) discussed this matter at length, noting that two “forms” could be discerned, one from the western Pacific and another from the Indian Ocean. The small morphological differences, however, are not constant and more taxonomic work will need to be done.

Some of the present specimens were collected still holding on to various kinds of sponges ( Fig. 1 C–E). Guinot et al. (1995) and Minemizu (2000) have already recorded H. orientalis carrying sponges, alcyonacean corals and even plant debris, and this seems to be the typical behavior for this species (see also Guinot & Wicksten 2015).

Distribution. Homola orientalis , as currently understood, is a very widespread species. It has been reported from throughout the Indo-Pacific, including Japan, Taiwan, Australia, and the Indian Ocean, from 38–700 m ( Davie & Short 1989; Guinot & Richer de Forges 1995; Richer de Forges & Ng 2007; Poore 2004; Poore et al. 2008; Ahyong et al. 2009). In Hawai‘i, the species has been reported from O‘ahu by Clarke (1972, as Thelxiope orientalis ), Guinot & Richer de Forges (1995: 333) and Garassino (2009: 17). Chave & Malahoff (1998) listed the taxon but without more precise data (only as “Hawaiian Islands”). This species was collected at numerous locations at French Frigate Shoals. Due to permit limitations, we were allowed to keep only a few of the many specimens collected. Our report is the first for this species in the outer Hawaiian Islands.

Figures

FIGURE 1. Colour in life, overall dorsal view. A, Homola orientalis, female (44.6 × 37.8 mm), JM0048 (LACM-MBC-5514); B, H. orientalis, JM0081 (LACM); C, H. orientalis carrying sponge, JM0078 (LACM); D, H. orientalis, male carrying sponge, JM0049 (LACM-MBC-5514), E, H. orientalis, female carrying sponge, JM0062 (LACM); F, H. dickinsoni, male (42.0 × 36.3 mm) JM0038 (LACM-MBC-5503). All from Hawai’i.