Isabellagordonia longipes Pretzmann, 1965

Magalhães, Célio & Wehrtmann, Ingo S., 2025, Taxonomic revision and distribution of the freshwater crabs of the family Pseudothelphusidae (Decapoda, Brachyura) from Guatemala, with the descriptions of two new species and keys to the species of all genera, Zoosystema 47 (26), pp. 581-615 : 608

Isabellagordonia longipes Pretzmann, 1965

( Fig. 17)

Gordonia longipes Pretzmann, 1965: 9 . — Rodríguez 1982: 191. — Wehrtmann et al. 2016: 782.

Isabellagordonia longipes – Smalley 1970: 102. — Guinot 1988: 14; 1994: 172. — Hobbs 1994: 101 (in list).

Isabellagordonia ( Isabellagordonia) longipes – Pretzmann 1971: 21; 1972: 91, figs 567-570. — Hobbs et al. 1977: 149 (in list). — Holthuis 1986: 594 (in list).

Isabellagordonia ( Phrygiopilus) longipes – Reddell 1981: 111, fig. 16 (in map); 113.

? Phrygiopilus longipes – Ng et al. 2008: 176.

Phrygiopilus longipes – Acevedo-Alonso & Cumberlidge 2022: 581 (Appendix 2, in list).

TYPE MATERIAL ( NOT EXAMINED). — Holotype. Guatemala • ♀; Alta Verapaz, cave at Lanquín ; [ 15°34’32”N, 89°58’50”W; 346 m elev.]; Champion leg.; NHM 1907.5.15.4 .

REMARKS

The taxonomic history of Isabellagordonia (Isabellagordonia) Pretzmann, 1967 is somewhat complicated. Pretzmann (1965) introduced the genus Gordonia to describe Gordonia longipes , but soon after Pretzmann (1967) replaced it by Isabellagordonia since that name was preoccupied. Later, Pretzmann (1971) separated this genus into three subgenera: (a) Isabellagordonia ( Isabelagordonia) Pretzmann, 1967 , including I. ( I.) longipes Pretzmann, 1965 ; (b) Isabellagordonia ( Pseudospirothelphusa) Pretzmann, 1965 , to accomodate I. ( Pp.) strengerae ( Pretzmann, 1965) [ Phrygiopilus strengerae , chosen as type species], I. ( Pp.) propinqua ( Rathbun, 1905) , and I. ( Pp.) proxima ( Rathbun, 1905) ; and (c) Isabellagordonia ( Phrygiopilus) Smalley, 1970 , comprising I. ( Ph.) acanthophallus ( Smalley, 1970) and I. ( Ph.) chuacusensis ( Smalley, 1970) . In a subsequent publication ( Pretzmann 1972), he also added I. ( I.) gracilipes (A. Milne-Edwards, 1866) to the specific composition of the nominal subgenus.

In his seminal work on the Pseudothelphusidae, Rodríguez (1982) discussed this confusing situation. Since the description of four of these species were based on females and, hence, their specific identity and generic allocation were uncertain, he opted to recognize Phrygiopilus Smalley, 1970 as the valid genus since it is the oldest generic name available for this group whose type species ( Ph. chuacusensis Smalley, 1970 ) is based on a male holotype. As pointed out by Ng et al. (2008), if Isabellagordonia ( Isabellagordonia) Pretzmann, 1967 prove to be senior synonym of Phrygiopilus Smalley, 1970 , then the latter name must be replaced by the former one.

The somatic features given by Pretzmann (1965) are not sufficiently diagnostic to clearly distinguish this species from others that occur in the region, especially those of the genus Phrygiopilus . Pretzmann (1971, 1972) provided a brief description of the G1 for this species but mentioned that it was after a drawing by Smalley concerning a specimen from the type locality (“nach einer Zeichnung von Smalley, ein Exemplar aus der Terra typica betreffend” – Pretzmann 1972: 93). The only species figured by Smalley (1970) from Alta Verapaz, where the type locality of I. ( I.) longipes is situated, is Ph. acanthophallus from Seamay Cave, about 27 km SE from Lanquín but Smalley (1970) mentioned that these species differ in the shape of the carapace and the armature of the chelae. The collection site in a cave and some of the morphological features described ( Pretzmann 1965, 1971, 1972) and illustrated ( Pretzmann 1972: 169, figs 567-570), particularly the retracted frontal margin, the broad carapace as well as the slend and long legs suggest that this might be a valid troglobitic species and probably related to the species currently allocated in Phrygiopilus . Its real identity, however, can only be determined by obtaining adult males from the type locality region, as already pointed out by Smalley (1970) and Rodríguez (1982).