Grapsus pelagicus H. Milne Edwards, 1853

(Fig. 4F)

Grapsus pelagicus H. Milne Edwards, 1853: 135 [169].

CURRENT TAXONOMIC STATUS. — Junior subjective synonym of Grapsus albolineatus Lamarck, 1818 (not Latreille in Milbert, 1812: 275; see above).

HOLOTYPE (by monotypy, present paper). — MNHN-IU-2000-3450 (= MNHN-B3450), ♀ 45.8 × 49.9 mm, Stephen Island, Torres Strait. — Original label: “ Grapsus strigosus Herbst (= Grapsus pelagicus M. Edwards), Ile Stephen, Détroit de Torrès”.

PRESERVATION. — Dry. Only RP2, RP5 attached, LP 3 missing.

REMARKS

Henri Milne Edwards (1853) described Grapsus pelagicus as a new species from the Torres Strait. This species has two senior secondary homonyms: Grapsus pelagicus Roux, 1830 from the Mediterranean Sea (see under this name) and Grapsus pelagicus Say, 1818 (Say 1818: 442) from the Gulf Stream, both synonymised under Planes minutus (Linnaeus, 1758) (see Chace 1951: 81; Manning & Holthuis 1981: 236). Although the species-group name Grapsus pelagicus H. Milne Edwards, 1853 is a junior secondary homonym, it was no longer considered congeneric with its two homonyms and has never been replaced, the junior name not having to be rejected since these species are placed in a different genera (Code, Art. 59.2).

The only specimen of H. Milne Edwards’ (1853) species MNHN-IU-2000-3450 (= MNHN-B3450) deposited at the MNHN labelled “ Grapsus strigosus (= Grapsus pelagicus), Ile Stephen, Détroit de Torrès” is certainly the type specimen of Grapsus pelagicus H. Milne Edwards,1853 . Our examination confirms that the specimen is indeed Grapsus albolineatus .

Alcock (1900: 394) has synonymised Grapsus granulosus, G. pelagicus and G. peroni under Grapsus strigosus (Herbst) without providing any treatment. The specific nomen strigosus Herbst, 1799, as published in the combination Cancer strigosus, is not available because it is a junior homonym of Cancer strigosus, which is actually Galathea strigosa (Linnaeus, 1761), but many authors continued to record Grapsus albolineatus under the name Grapsus strigosus (see Banerjee 1960: 153). Grapsus strigosus has been determined to be the junior synonym of Grapsus albolineatus, e.g. by Banerjee (1960: 147, 154), Sakai (1976: 630), and Ng et al. (2008: 323).