Pisidia brasiliensis Haig in Rodrigues da Costa, 1968

(Fig. 3 A)

Megalobrachium poeyi— Coelho, 1963/64: 63 [non M. poeyi Guérin-Menéville].

Pisidia brasiliensis Haig in Rodrigues da Costa, 1968: 406 (type-locality: Cananéia and São Sebastião, São Paulo, Brazil).

Material examined. Brazil: Ceará—Beberibe, Praia do Morro Branco, 1 ovigerous female (MNRJ-4082). Rio Grande do Norte—Nísia Floresta, Praia de Búzios, 1 female, 1 ovigerous female (MZUSP-19909). Paraíba—Cabo Branco, 2 males (MZUSP-15525). Alagoas—Maragogi, 1 ovigerous female (LabMar-79). Rio de Janeiro—Baía de Sepetiba, 1 m, 6 males, 1 female, 1 ovigerous female (MZUSP-19522). São Paulo—Ubatuba, Pedra do Morcego, 8 males, 3 females, 10 ovigerous females (MZUSP-11111); 8 males, 2 females, 6 ovigerous females (MZUSP- 11300).

Recognition characters. Carapace rounded, as long as broad; with discrete pilose striation; cervical groove and epibranchial angle well-defined, lateral margin slightly upturned, granulate. Front trilobate, serrate. Chelipeds subequal, rugose; carpus unarmed, with longitudinal proximal half carina; propodus approximately twice length of carpus, propodus of minor cheliped fringed with long, plumose setae on extensor half. Walking legs rugose, pubescent; propodus with 2 spines on flexor margin, dactylus with 3 or 4 spines on flexor margin. Gonopods present in males. Telson composed of 7 plates.

Habitat. Shallow waters, on sandy and rocky substrates (Veloso & Melo 1993). Also found with the bryozoan Schizoporella unicornis (Johnston, 1874), suggesting that this species prefers the infralittoral zone; and on reefs built by Phragmatopoma lapidosa Kinberg, 1867, however, at lower densities (Micheletti-Flores & Negreiros- Fransozo 1999).

Geographic distribution. Western Atlantic—Colombia, Rosario Island, Cartagena, Ciénaga Grande de Santa Marta and Santa Marta; Venezuela, Margarita Island; and Brazil (from Pará to São Paulo).

Remarks. Coelho (1963/64) recorded two specimens as Megalobrachium poeyi (Guérin-Menéville, 1855) from Paraíba, but the specimens have later proved to be Pisidia brasiliensis by Haig in Rodrigues da Costa (1968). Coelho & Ramos (1972) referred the same material to Pisidia sp.