Lucascinus bedfordi (Montgomery, 1931) Montgomery, 1931

Poore, Gary C. B., Guinot, Danièle, Komai, Tomoyuki & Naruse, Tohru, 2016, Reappraisal of species attributed to Halicarcinus White, 1846 (Crustacea: Decapoda: Brachyura: Hymenosomatidae) with diagnosis of four new genera and one new species from New Ireland, Papua New Guinea, Zootaxa 4093 (4), pp. 480-514 : 503-504

Lucascinus bedfordi (Montgomery, 1931) n. comb.

( Fig. 9)

Hymenosoma sp. — Montgomery 1921: 94–95.

Halicarcinus bedfordi Montgomery, 1931: 425 –426, pl. 27 fig. 3. — Melrose 1975: 82. — Lucas 1980: 181–182, figs 3A, 5E, 6N, 7G, 9E, 9. — Poore 2004: 394, fig. 120b.

Not Halicarcinus bedfordi— Rahayu & Ng 2004: 2–3 (see remarks below).

Material examined. Australia. Western Australia, Bunbury Harbour, NMV J 37521 (1 ovigerous female, 2.8 mm). Swan River, Melville Waters, Lucky Bay, 3 m, NMV J39635 (1 male, 5.4 mm); NMV J39939 (1 male, 3.3 mm, 2 ovigerous females, 3.2, 4.4 mm). WA, Swan Estuary, Canning R., 1 km upstream of Canning Bridge, on Halophila , <1 m, WAM (1 male); ZRC 2002.0605, ZRC 2002.0606 (several specimens).

Comparative material identified by Rahayu & Ng (2004). Kamora, Timika, West Papua, Indonesia, MNHN IU-2009- 1938–1940, 3205, 3269 (35 specimens).

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b a2 a1 f

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c i Diagnosis. Carapace 1.15 times as long as wide in male, as wide as long in female. Rostrum a triangular plate, 0.25 times carapace length, similar in male, female; depressed anteriorly but with slightly upturned apex; with narrow epistomial ridge along about proximal half; without terminal setae, with short marginal setae. Supraocular eave arching, covering about one third of eyestalk, defined anteriorly by subrostral ridge not visible in dorsal view, proximal to lateral pseudorostral element; postocular margin defined by trilobed anterior margin of subhepatic region, separated by notch from supraocular eave. Subhepatic region with oblique anteroventral margin, with 1 tubercle level with anterior buccal margin, another over coxa of pereopod 1. Antennule with broad basal article, produced laterally; interantennular proepistome distinct, ridge-like, fused to epistome. Male cheliped propodus 3 times as long as greatest depth, upper margin convex at base of finger; cutting edge of fixed finger deeply concave over proximal 0.4, straight over remainder; dactylus 0.4 length of propodus, cutting edge concave except over distal 0.3, with obsolete tooth proximally. Pereopodal dactyli with erect spines along proximal 0.6 of length. Male gonopod 1 with swollen base, distal part attached at right angle, stout, tapering, about 1.5 times as long as greatest length of base, with subapical pectinate setae. Male gonopod 2 small, with triangular base, tapering to distal part with truncate apex, somewhat twisted.

Distribution. Western Australia (Shark Bay to Bunbury but probably throughout tropics), throughout Queensland, Australia, subtidal reef and estuaries.

Remarks. Lucascinus bedfordi was first described from the Swan River, Western Australia. Subsequently it has been recorded over a wide range in Western Australia and from Weipa south to Moreton Bay, Queensland (Lucas 1980; Lucas & Davie 1982). Lucas (1980) redescribed L. bedfordi (as Halicarcinus ), but his drawings (1980: fig. 9E, F) of gonopod 1 show a stocky and straight structure. Based on this figure, Naruse & Komai (2009) categorised L. bedfordi in a monotypic group with an emphasis on its ‘ Amarinus -type’ gonopod 1. We have separately examined several specimens of L. bedfordi , including topotypic specimens. Gonopod 1 is more slender and weakly curved outwards than figured earlier and unlike that of any of the other genera covered here. The male pleon lacks the intercalated platelets (i.e., uropods) at the base of the pleotelson seen in Amarinus . The male pleon of L. bedfordi was drawn as to be almost a right-angled triangular structure, with the widest point at the base of the first somite (Lucas 1980: fig. 7G). The specimens examined have the widest point at the junction between pleomeres 2 and 3.These character states link L. bedfordi , L. keijibabai and L. coralicola in a single genus. Our figures include the thoracic sternum and male cheliped not figured before.

The carapace armature of the material from Timika, West Papua, Indonesia, attributed to Halicarcinus bedfordi by Rahayu & Ng (2004) differs significantly from Australian specimens as these authors noted. Having seen material from both localities (see above) GCBP believes the Indonesian material belongs to an undescribed species. The localities of the two species are separated by the Arafura Sea.