Mursia flamma Galil, 1993

Muñoz, Isabel, García-Isarch, Eva & Cuesta, Jose A., 2021, Annotated and updated checklist of marine crabs (Decapoda: Brachyura) of Mozambique supported by morphological and molecular data from shelf and slope species of the “ MOZAMBIQUE ” surveys, Zootaxa 5056 (1), pp. 1-67 : 21-22

Mursia flamma Galil, 1993

( Figure 7G )

Material examined. M07, Stn. 10, 382m, ♂ 63.3× 46.8mm ( CW without lateral spine) (IEO-CD-MZ07/1904) .

Habitat and distribution. Mursia flamma is distributed in the southwest of the WIO, between Kwazulu-Natal in South Africa, Mozambique and Madagascar ( Emmerson 2016b,c; Galil 1993; Spiridonov & Apel 2007), between 210 and 520m depth ( Emmerson 2016b,c).

Results and remarks. One single male specimen was collected at 382m depth. For identification, the keys provided by Galil (2003) and Spiridonov & Apel (2007) were used.

This specimen does not completely conform to the original description of M. flamma . In addition, there are certain characters that do not match the posterior redescription made by Galil (2003). The median tooth of the rostrum of our specimen is not triangular, as described by Galil (2003), but rounded, as described in the review of M. flamma made by Spiridonov & Apel (2007). Galil (2003) reported three spines on the merus of the chelipeds, but our specimen has four, one of them being minute. While Spiridonov & Apel (2007) described three spines, a minute fourth spine can be appreciated in the merus of the cheliped in some pictures of M. flamma of the MHNH, this suggesting that the number of spines on the merus of the cheliped could be three or four, the fourth being a tiny one (see Figure 7 ). Thus, the number of spines of the cheliped might not be a distinctive character for M. flamma .

Colouration observed. Our specimen was quite strong reddish-brown, with slightly lighter tubercles, the larger ones with whitish tips, as well as the spines on the posterior margin of the carapace. Chelipeds have the same colour as the carapace, and pereiopods were lighter reddish tone with the proximal part of the merus and the dactyli whitish.

DNA barcodes. The specimen was preserved in formalin and therefore, it was not possible to get DNA sequences.

Figures

FIGURE 7. Mursia flamma, ♂ IEO-CD-MZ07/1904: photography of merus of right cheliped showing four spines (red arrow indicates the position of the fourth spine). Scale bar: 1cm.