Description of a new species of the genus Trichopeltarion A. Milne-Edwards, 1880 (Decapoda: Brachyura: Trichopeltariidae) from western Pacific and southeast Asian waters

Abstract

The present study limits the distribution of a deep-sea crab, Trichopeltarion ovale Anderson, 1896, to the Indian Ocean, and describes a new species of what has been referred to as T. ovale from the western Pacific and southeast Asia. Trichopeltarion danieleae sp. nov. differs morphologically from allied congeners by a combination of characters of the carapace and ambulatory legs. The new species is also distinguished from two fossil Trichopeltarion species, T. huziokai (Imaizumi, 1951) and T. inflatus (Kato, 1996).

Key words:

• Trichopeltariidae
• new species
• taxonomy
• western Pacific
• southeast Asia
• deep-sea

Acknowledgements

We thank Danièle Guinot, Danielle Defaye, Paula Martin-Lefèvre, Anouchka Sato, Rachid Kebir (MNHN), Michael Türkay (SMF) and Hironori Komatsu (NSMT) for their help for this project. Hiroko Takaoka (Okinawa Churaumi Aquarium) and Jun Nemoto (Tohoku University) lent us important specimens, while Tin-Yam Chan (NTOU), Hiroaki Karasawa (Mizunami Fossil Museum), Rodney M. Feldmann and Carrie E. Schweitzer (Kent State University) helped us by providing information and/or literature. Thanks are also due to anonymous reviewers as well as the editorial team of Marine Biology Research who improved the manuscript.

Editorial responsibility: Matz Berggren