Schizophrys aspera (H. Milne Edwards, 1831 )

Lee, Bee Yan, Low, Martyn E. Y. & Ng, Peter K. L., 2018, A nomenclatural review of the genus Schizophrys White, 1848 (Decapoda: Brachyura: Majoidea: Majidae), Raffles Bulletin of Zoology 66, pp. 12-22 : 14

Schizophrys aspera (H. Milne Edwards, 1831) : rediscovery of type material and lectotype designation

Following Ng et al. (2008), eight species-group names are currently synonymised under Schizophrys aspera (H. Milne Edwards, 1831) : Mithrax quadridentatus MacLeay, 1838 ; Maja (Dione) affinis De Haan, 1839 ; Schizophrys serratus White, 1848 ; Mithrax spinifrons A. Milne-Edwards, 1867 ; Mithrax affinis Brito Capello, 1871 ; Mithrax triangularis Kossmann, 1877 ; Mithrax (Schizophrys) triangularis var. indica Richters, 1880 ; and Inachus bifidus Marion de Procé, 1822 ( Table 1 ).

Schizophrys aspera has a large geographic range ( Griffin & Tranter, 1986; Apel, 2001; Naderloo & Türkay, 2012), which in addition to the Indo-West Pacific region, also includes the Red Sea ( Griffin & Tranter, 1974), Suez Canal ( Türkay, 2001; El-Serehy et al., 2012), Iran ( Naderloo & Türkay, 2012), Japan ( Sakai, 1969, 1976), and America ( Rathbun, 1925). The species has also been reported as an invasive species in Hawaii and New Zealand ( Coles et al., 1997; Coutts & Dodgshun, 2007). However, the exact type locality for S. aspera is not known ( Table 1 ).

Although the type specimen was not clearly indicated by H. Milne Edwards (1831: [10]), it was noted in the description that the specimen was part of “la collection du Muséum”, i.e., the Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle (MNHN), Paris, France. It was also mentioned by Castro (2011: 53) that there is a possible type specimen in the MNHN. A dried specimen at the MNHN that matches the description by H. Milne Edwards (1831: [10]) very closely, was recently located (MNHN-B463, Fig. 1B ). This specimen is herein designated as the lectotype of the species Mithrax asper H. Milne Edwards, 1831 ( Fig. 1B ).

Figures

Fig. 1. Species of Schizophrys White, 1848. A, Schizophrys serratus White, 1848 syntype (from White, 1848: 223, unnumbered fig.), “Isle of France” (= Mauritius); B, Mithrax asper H. Milne Edwards, 1831, lectotype (herein designated), female (carapace width × carapace length: 25.1 × 29.3 mm) (MNHN-IU-B463), no locality (photographed by N.K. Ng).