Trichopeltarion vanuatuensis, Tavares & Cleva & Contents, 2010

Tavares, Marcos & Cleva, Régis, 2010, Trichopeltariidae (Crustacea, Decapoda, Brachyura), A New Family And Superfamily Of Eubrachyuran Crabs With Description Of One New Genus And Five New Species, Papéis Avulsos de Zoologia (São Paulo) 50 (9), pp. 97-157 : 147-149

Trichopeltarion vanuatuensis sp. nov.

( Figures 32 A-B; 33)

Material examined:. Vanuatu:. BOA0,. Alis ,. stn CP 2304,. 16°35’06”S- 167°59’34”E,. trawl,. 564-582 m,. Samadi. et al. . coll.,. 14 Nov 2004,. ♀. holotype.23.3 x 24.0 mm.( MNHN-B30511 );. same. cruise,.stn CP 2319,. 15°03’33”S- 166°52’76”E,.trawl,. 482-540 m,. Samadi. et al. . coll.. 16 Nov 2004,. 1 ♀. paratype.16.4 x 15.5 mm.( MNHN-B30512 );.BOA1,. Alis,. stn CP 2432,. 14°59’70”S- 166°55’00”E,. trawl,. 630-705 m,. Samadi. et al. . coll.. 08 Sep 2005,. 1 ♀. paratype. 18.0 x 17.8 mm. ( MNHN-B30513 );. New. Caledonia,. Vauban,. stn D. 38,. dredge,. 22°29.3’S- 166°22.0’E,. 475-550 m,. 07 Jun 1979,. 1 ♂. paratype. 11.5 x 11.4 mm.( MNHN-B31973 ) .

Type locality:. Vanuatu,. 16°35’06”S- 167°59’34”E,.between.564-582.meters.depth .

Description of the holotype:.Carapace.subcircular,.only. slightly.wider.than.long,.moderately.arched.transversally,. strongly. arched. longitudinally.. Front. cut. into. three. strong,. forward. directed,. sharp. rostral. teeth;. central. tooth. distinctly. stronger. and. longer. than. laterals..Rostral.teeth.lacking.barbs..Orbits.large,.directed.laterally;.ocular.peduncle.slender,.cornea.small. with.only.scant.traces.of.pigment..Orbital.teeth.acute,. densely. setose. basally,. naked. terminally,. barbs. lacking..Innerorbital.tooth.separated.from.lateral.rostral. tooth. front. by. deep,. wide,. V-shaped. gap;. innerorbital.and.second.supraorbital.teeth.separated.by.narrow,. deep. gap,. much.narrower. than. preceding. one,. second. supraorbital. tooth. shorter. and. much. more. slender.than.first;.exorbital.tooth.longer.than.second. supraorbital.tooth,.narrower.and.as.long.as.innerorbital,.slightly.directed.outward..Anterolateral.margin. rounded,. marked. with. three. strong. teeth,. hepatic,. post-hepatic,. and. epibranchial,. minutely. granulated. basally,.smooth.terminally,.directed.forwards.and.upwards,. barbs. lacking.. Hepatic. tooth. separated. from. exorbital.tooth.by.wide.deep.depression;.hepatic.and. post-hepatic.teeth.of.about.same.size,.acute,.slightly. curved. inward;. distance. between. exorbital,. hepatic,. post-hepatic. and. epibranchial.teeth.decreasing.from. back. to. front.. Second. epibranchial. tooth. longest,. distinctly. stronger. than. preceding. teeth,. directed. outwards.and.slightly.upwards..Posterolateral.margin. weakly. convex,. extending. obliquely. into. posterior. margin,.ornamented.with.few,.sparse,.rounded.granules.. Posterior. margin. almost. straight,. only. slightly. convex. laterally,. bordered. with. rounded.granules. of. different. sizes.. Dorsal. surface. of. carapace. densely. covered. with.short.setae,. paved.with.rounded.granules,.absent.in.depressions.bounding.elevated.regions.. Gastric. region.slightly.swollen,. densely.crested. with. rounded.granules,. well.delimitated.laterally. by. two,. shallow,. smooth. grooves.. Mesogastric. region. triangular. in. shape,. low,. densely. covered. with. granules.. Metagastric. and. urogastric. regions. swollen,. crested. with.rounded.granules..Cardiac.region.with.two.distinct.humps,.placed.side.by.side,.transversally.in.relation.to.the.body.axis,.crested.with.rounded.granules.. Branchiocardiac. grooves. smooth,. deeply. excavated,. sinuous.. Intestinal. and. branchial. regions. sparsely. covered. with. granules;. metabranchial. bump. strong,. crested.with.acute.granules..Protogastric.and.hepatic. regions.sparsely.covered.with.both.acute.and.rounded. granules.of.different.sizes;.pterygostomial.region.with. minute. granules.. Buccal. frame. nearly. rectangular,. somewhat.wider.anteriorly..Insertions.of.mxp3.placed. well.apart.

Thoracic . sternum. ovoid,. sparsely. granulated,. longer. than. wide;. maximum. width. attained. at. segment. 5.. Segment. 3. with. two. lateral. expansions.. Vulvae. extremely. large,. operculated,. subcircular. in. shape..Chelipeds.missing..Female. paratype.(MNHN- B30512). with. chelipeds. densely. covered. with. both. small.granules.and.long.setae;.right.cheliped.slightly. larger. than. left.. Dactylus. slightly. curved. downward. terminally,.only.little.longer.than.fixed.finger,.ending. in. acute. tip;. teeth. from. cutting. edge. interfingering. with.teeth.in.fixed.finger..Fixed.finger.rather.straight,. ending.in.acute,.upturned.tip..Propodus,.carpus,.and. merus. granulated.. Pereiopods. densely. setose,. finely. granulated;.dactyli.of.all.pereiopods.longer.than.propodus..Female.abdomen.of.six.free.segments.and.telson,.segments.sparsely.granulated.

Variations:.In.the.smaller.females.( MNHN-B 30512,. B30513). the. proto-gastric. regions. have. two,. spiny,. distinct.tubercles.each;.in.the.larger.female.the.mesial. proto-gastric. tubercles. are. well. recognizable,. whereas. the. laterals. are. surrounded. by. similar. tubercles. and.rather.indistinct.. In. the.smallest. female. ( MNHN-B 30512). the. proto-gastric. tubercles. are. almost. aligned. transversally. in. relation. to. the. body. axis,. whilst. in. the. slightly. larger. female. (MNHN- B30513).the.lateral.tubercles.are.displaced.forward.. In. the. smaller. females. ( MNHN-B 30512,. B30513). the. post-hepatic. tooth. is. slightly. shorter. than. the. hepatic.one,.whereas.in.the.largest.female.(MNHN- B30511). the. hepatic. and. post-hepatic. spines. are. about.the.same.size.

Etymology:. Named. after. the. type. locality,. Vanuatu;. and.- ensis.Latin.suffix.denoting.place.

Remarks: Trichopeltarion vanuatuensis .sp. nov..resembles. T. alcocki . in. having. strong,. sharp. orbital. teeth.. Both.species.can.be.easily.distinguished.on.the.basis. of. the. ornamentation. of. the. carapace. (covered. with. well.individualized.tubercles.in. Trichopeltarion vanuatuensis ,.whereas.in. T. alcocki .the.carapace.is.essentially.covered.with.coalescent.tubercles.crested.with.few. granules);.spinulation.of.the.dorsal.face.of.the. P2-5. merus.(with.minute.spiniform.granules.in. Trichopeltarion vanuatuensis ,.whilst.in. T. alcocki .the.dorsal.face. of.the.P2-5.merus.carry.a.longitudinal.row.of.strong,. sharp.spines).

Distribution:.The.species.is. so. far. known. only.from. the. Vanuatu,.between.482.and.705.meters,.and.New. Caledonia.from.475.to.550.meters.

Figures

FIGURE 32:.Trichopeltarion vanuatuensis.sp. nov..holotype.female.23.3 x 24.0 mm.(MNHN-B30511)..A, General.dorsal.view..B, Anterior. region.of.carapace.in.dorsal.view.