Mursia sp.

Spiridonov, Vassily A. & Apel, Michael, 2007, A new species and new records of deep-water Calappidae (Crustacea: Decapoda) from the Indian Ocean with a key to the Mursia Desmarest, 1823 species of the region, Journal of Natural History 41 (45 - 48), pp. 2851-2890 : 2878-2880

Mursia sp. aff. danigoi Galil, 1993

( Figures 2C , 3E , 8B , 13B , 14A, B )

? Mursia danigoi Galil 1993, p 360 , Figures 1e , 3g –i , 5a, b ; Tan et al. 2000, p 142, Figure 1a .

Material examined

Saya de Malha Bank , 11 ° 069S, 62 ° 149 E, RV Vitiaz, Cruise 17, St. 2804, depth 230–235 m, shrimp trawl: one male ( IORAS unregistered, previously identified as Mursia armata by N. A. Zarenkov) .

Comparative material of M. danigoi : Philippines, 13 ° 58.09N, 120 ° 13.79E, MUSORSTOM 1, St. 58, 143– 178 m, 26 March 1976: one female (paratype; MNHN B. 22371); 14 ° 00.59N, 120 ° 16.59E, MUSORSTOM 2, St. CP 59, 186– 190 m, 28 November 1980: one male ( MNHN B. 22366) .

Size

The specimen from Saya de Malha measures CL 552.5 mm, CW 565.8 mm, LS 59.4 mm (one spine partly broken off). The holotype of M. danigoi measures CL 545 mm, CW 555 mm, MCW 571 mm .

Coloration

Even though the specimen has been stored in alcohol for an extended period and has lost most of its coloration, there are orange markings present in the pterygostomial region anterior to the base of the chelipeds, on the upper face of the cheliped merus, and on the inner surface of the cheliped palm near the base of the movable finger. In the specimen from Taiwan assigned to M. danigoi by Tan et al. (2000) there is a vertical red patch on the base of the cheliped movable finger as well as on the inner surface of the palm and there are four minute dots on each side of the distal margin of the buccal cavity. According to the colour photograph of the above authors, the background colour of the carapace is orange. A pattern of dark red patches extends posteriorly up to the epibranchial regions while carapace and cheliped tubercles are whitish ( Tan et al. 2000).

Habitat and vertical range

The specimen from Saya de Malha was collected at a depth of 230–235 m. Mursia danigoi from the Western Pacific was collected at a depth of 143–204 m.

Distribution

The examined specimen originates from Saya de Malha Bank in the western Indian ocean, while M. danigoi is known from the Philippines and Taiwan.

Remarks

The present specimen is close to M. danigoi and M. coseli in having a quadrispinose cheliped merus and a trilobate posterior margin of the carapace. According to Crosnier (1997b), the distinguishing characters between the two species include a more uneven granulation of the carapace in M. coseli and the length/width ratio of the P5 merus being 2.6–2.8 in M. danigoi versus 3.3 in M. coseli . The specimen from Saya de Malha shows the character state as described for M. danigoi in having a length/width ratio of the merus of the fifth pereiopod of 2.6.

It differs, however, from both species in having the anterior part of the anterolateral margin of the carapace unevenly curved, the lobes near the lower margin of the cheliped merus being incompletely fused forming a ridge-like structure and the Go/2 having a shorter recurved terminal part, not reaching the junction with proximal part. Since, however, only a single specimen is available and the extent of individual variation of these characters is unknown we refrain from describing a new taxon.

Mursia cristiata H. Milne-Edwards, 1837

Mursia cristiata H. Milne Edwards 1837 (1 July), p 109–110; Holthuis 1993, p 603–606, Figure 1a–c ; Galil 1993, p 357–358, Figures 4a , 5e, f , 6a, c .

Mursia cristimanus de Haan 1837 (16 August), p 70; Barnard 1950, p 354, Figure 67a–f; Macpherson 1983, p 18, Figures 8 , 9a–f .

Mursia cristimana: de Haan 1837 (16 August), p 70, Plate E; Krauss 1843, p 52; Doflein 1904, p 38 –39, Plate 16, Figures 5–12 , Plate 18, Figure 1 .

Material examined

South Africa: Off Cape Town, Dr Isaeff coll., 15 December 1888: two females, one ov. female ( ZMMU Ma 916); same locality, same collector: one male, one ov. female ( ZSM 408 /3); Francis Bay, RV Valdivia, St. 100: two males ( ZSM 408 /2). South Atlantic : St. Helena Island, Salmin coll.: one female, one ov. female ( ZSM 408 /1) .

Type locality

‘‘Cap de Bonne Espérance’’ (Cape of Good Hope), South Africa.

Type material

Mursia cristiata: Daniele Guinot from the MNHN kindly checked the collections in Paris and found three lots, each containing one specimen, labelled ‘‘ Cap de Bonne Espérance’ ’ in the dry collection. Two of the specimens (MNHN-B. 97 and MNHN-B. 4096) were collected by Pierre-Antoine Delalande and the third one (MNHN-B. 96) was collected by Jules Verreaux. According to D. Guinot (personal communication) the two specimens collected by Delalande can be considered syntypes of M. cristiata , while the third specimen (collected by Verreaux) might have been collected later and should not be considered a type. From the two syntypes D. Guinot and Regis Cléva selected the male specimen ( MNHN-B 4096 ) of approximately 35 mm CL as the lectotype. The other syntype, a specimen of similar size ( MNHN-B 97 ), is selected as paralectotype. Mursia cristimanus : lectotype (selected by Holthuis 1993): RMNH D 38213: one male (dry), Cape of Good Hope, South Africa, H. B. van Horstok coll. 1826–1833, and RMNH D 38153 (mouthparts of RMNH D 38213). Paralectotypes (selected by Holthuis 1993): RMNH D 38152: two males (dry), Cape of Good Hope , South Africa, H. B. van Horstok coll. 1826–1833.

Size Lectotype of M. cristiata (CL×MCW): 35× 45 mm with one spine being slightly broken;

lectotype of M. cristimanus: CL 27.5, CW 30.0, MCW 34.8 mm ( Galil 1993). Examined specimens ( CL × CW) : males: 18×18.5 ( LS 2.5 ) – 30×33.5 ( LS 3.0); ov. females: 20.0×21.5 ( LS 2.0)–21.2×20.0 ( LS 1.5 ) .

Habitat and vertical range

Known from 10 to more than 300 m depth.

Distribution

South Africa from Natal to Namibia. St Helena Island in the South Atlantic. The latter record by Doflein (1901) was questioned by Manning and Holthuis (1981) but confirmed by our examination of the original material in the ZSM.

Remarks

Full synonymy and a more detailed discussion of the nomenclatorial problems are given by Holthuis (1993, p 603ff).

Figures

Figure 1. Basal antennal segment of Calappa. (A) C. japonica, Red Sea, male, CL 13.6 mm (SMF 13592); (B) C. japonica, Gulf of Aden, male, CL 46.4 mm (ZMMU Ma 5344); (C) C. japonica, Japan, female, CL 53.5 mm (SMF 22942); (D) C. pustulosa, Strait of Mozambique, female, CL 54.6 mm (ZMMU Ma 5335).

Figure 2. Dorsal view of distal margin of cheliped merus. (A) Mursia africana, male, CL 30.4 mm (IORAS, unregistered), left cheliped; (B) M. africana, juvenile male, CL 14.7 mm (SMF 29497), left cheliped; (C) Mursia aff. danigoi, male, CL 52.5 mm (IORAS, unregistered), right cheliped; (D) Mursia bicristimana, male, CL 50.0 mm (ZMMU Ma 5353), right cheliped; (E) M. bicristimana, female, CL 37.0 mm (SMF 22942), right cheliped; (F) Mursia flamma, female, CL 46.3 mm (IORAS, unregistered), right cheliped; (G) Mursia minuta, male holotype, CL 17.1 mm (NHM 1907.5.22), right cheliped; (H) M. minuta, male, CL 19.5 mm (NHM 1898.8.26.3), right cheliped.

Figure 3. Gonopods 2 (Go/2). (A) Mursia africana, left Go/2, abdominal face, juvenile male, CL 14.7 mm (SMF 29497); (B) M. africana, left Go/2, abdominal face, CL 30.4 mm (IORAS, unregistered); (C) Mursia bicristimana, left Go/2, abdominal face, CL 50.0 mm (ZMMU Ma 5353); (D) M. bicristimana, left Go/2, terminal part, same specimen as in (C); (E) Mursia aff. danigoi, left Go/2, terminal part, abdominal face, CL 52.5 mm (IORAS, unregistered).

Figure 4. Gonopods 1 and 2 (Go/1 and 2). (A) Mursia bicristimana, left Go/1, CL 50.0 mm (ZMMU Ma 5353); (B) M. bicristimana, left Go/1, proximal part, same specimen as in (A); (C) M. bicristimana, right Go/2 inserted in Go/1, CL 48.4 mm (SMF 22942); (D) Mursia minuta, left Go/1, holotype, CL 17.1 mm (NHM 1907.5.22); (E) M. minuta, left Go/2, terminal part, same specimen as in (D); (F) M. minuta, left Go/2, same specimen as in (D).

Figure 5. Mursia bicristimana, male, Gulf of Aden, CL 48.4 mm (SMF 22942). (A) Dorsal view; (B) ventral view.

Figure 6. Mursia bicristimana, female, Nicobar Islands, CL 39.9 mm (ZMB 13660). (A) Dorsal view; (B) ventral view.

Figure 8. Merus of left last ambulatory leg, posterior view. (A) Mursia bicristimana, CL 48.4 mm, (SMF 22942); (B) Mursia aff. danigoi, CL 52.5 mm (IORAS, unregistered); (C) Mursia minuta, male, CL 19.5 mm (NHM 1898.8.26.3).

Figure 9. Female genital opening. (A) Mursia bicristimana, right genital opening, CL 37.0 mm (SMF 22942); (B) Mursia flamma, right genital opening, CL 46.3 mm (IORAS, unregistered).

Figure 13. Cheliped palm. (A) Mursia coseli, male holotype, CL 21.6 mm (MNHN B.25584); (B) M. aff. danigoi, CL 52.5 mm (IORAS, unregistered); (C) Mursia danigoi, male paratype, 26.8 mm (MNHN B.22371).

Figure 14. Mursia aff. danigoi, CL 52.5 mm (IORAS, unregistered). (A) Dorsal view; (B) ventral view.