Neorhynchoplax euryrostris Davie & Richer de Forges, 1996

D., Guinot & de, Mazancourt V., 2020, A new freshwater crab of the family Hymenosomatidae MacLeay, 1838 from New Caledonia (Crustacea, Decapoda, Brachyura) and an updated review of the hymenosomatid fauna of New Caledonia, European Journal of Taxonomy 671 (671), pp. 1-29 : 18

Neorhynchoplax euryrostris Davie & Richer de Forges, 1996

Fig. 9

Neorhynchoplax euryrostris Davie & Richer de Forges, 1996: 260 , figs 2b, d, 3. Belongs to the group of species of Neorhynchoplax in which the lateral carapace margin is armed with a distinct recurved spiniform tooth just above the first ambulatory leg (P2); a characteristic shared with Richerius marqueti gen. et sp. nov. is the long setae that cover the outer surface of the stout palm and the fingers of the chelipeds, especially in males ( Fig. 9 ). It is estuarine to tidal freshwater. The species was until now only known from the type material collected on the western coast of New Caledonia (Dumbea, Le Cap) where it inhabits crevices in rotting logs at the edge of the water at low tide; and under stones in freshwater ( Davie & Richer de Forges 1996: 261). Thanks to the Hydrobio Expedition, “Our Planet Reviewed”, it was found in the Iouanga River and in a stream tributary of the Negropo river, at 4 m a.s.l., where it cohabits with Odiomaris aff. pilosus . These newly collected specimens were all found in a similar habitat, among aquatic vegetation in the lower part of the river under the marine influence, with a variable salinity ranging from freshwater to brackish water depending on the tide.

Figures

Fig. 9. Neorhynchoplax euryrostris Davie & Richer de Forges 1996, living specimen collected in the Iouanga River, North Province, Kaala-Gomen township (MNHN-IU-2014-21508). A–B. Two views.