Munidopsis serricornis ( Lovén, 1852 )

Ahyong, Shane T. & Poore, Gary C. B., 2004, Deep-water Galatheidae (Crustacea: Decapoda: Anomura) from southern and eastern Australia, Zootaxa 472 (1), pp. 1-76 : 57

Munidopsis serricornis ( Lovén, 1852)

Galathea serricornis Lovén, 1852, 1852: 22 [type locality: Sweden].

Galathea tridentata Esmark, 1857: 239 [type locality: Lofoten, W coast of Norway].

Galathodes rosaceus A. Milne­Edwards, 1881: 43 [type locality: NW coast of Spain].

Munidopsis tridentata . — Chace, 1942: 88–89. — Baba, 1988: 172–173, fig. 70.

Munidopsis serricornis . — Baba & Poore, 2002: 241–244, figs. 6–9.

Material examined. TASMANIA: AM P61819, 2 males (13.6–20.6 mm), 2 females (13.6–22.2 mm), off St. Patricks Head , Tasmania, 41º35’S, 148º14’E, 1100 m, trawl, FRV Soela, S 05/87/15, K. Graham, 12 Jul 1987 .

Remarks. Munidopsis serricornis was recently reported and figured from Australia by Baba & Poore (2002) and was regarded as a variable, cosmopolitan species. One specimen contributing to this conclusion, identified by Baba & Poore (2002) as Ms. serricornis , is referable to Ms. treis n. sp. described below. The remaining Australian specimens of Ms. serricornis studied by Baba & Poore (2002) together with the present series differ from Atlantic specimens in bearing a pair of epigastric spines on the carapace, but agree in bearing spinose meri of the walking legs. Philippine specimens of Ms. serricornis reported by Baba (1988) (as Ms. tridentata ) and two Investigator specimens from the Bay of Bengal (AM P2701) agree with Atlantic specimens in lacking epigastric spines, but differ from Atlantic specimens in having smaller lateral carapace spines less spinose meri of the walking legs. Although Baba (1988) and Baba & Poore (2002) characterised Ms. serricornis as a variable and cosmopolitan species, it appears that specimens from different localities are readily diagnosed. Further study may well indicate that several species are involved.

Distribution. Known from both sides of the Atlantic and the Indo­Pacific from the western Indian Ocean to Indonesia, the Philippines, and southeastern Australia ( Baba & Poore 2002).