Paramunida cretata Macpherson, 1996

Cabezas, P. E., 2010, Taxonomic revision of the genus Paramunida Baba, 1988 (Crustacea: Decapoda: Galatheidae): a morphological and molecular approach, Zootaxa 2712, pp. 1-60 : 17-18

Paramunida cretata Macpherson, 1996

( Figs. 12F, 16D)

Paramunida cretata Macpherson, 1996: 411 , figs 8, 23 (SW Pacific, Waterwitch Bank and Wallis Islands, 300–365 m). — Baba 2005: 302 (key, synonymies). — Baba et al. 2008: 171 (list of occurrences).

Paramunida amphitrita Macpherson 2004: 282 (in part, one specimen from Stn CP1412, not P. amphitrita Macpherson, 1996 ).

Not Paramunida cretata Macpherson 2004: 283 ( Tonga, 371–497 m) (= P. achernar n. sp.).

Material examined. Waterwitch Bank. MUSORSTOM 7. Stn 569, 12°30.0'S, 176°51.2'W, 21 May 1992, 300– 305 m: 1 ov. F 11.5 mm (holotype, MNHN-Ga 3651), 4 F 7.4–10.5 mm (MNHN-Ga3744).

Wallis Islands. MUSORSTOM 7. Stn 583, 13°11.1'S, 176°14.2'W, 22 May 1992, 330– 365 m: 2 M 10.0– 11.4 mm, 1 ov. F 10.0 mm ( USNM). — Stn 605, 13°21.3'S, 176°08.4'W, 26 May 1992, 335– 340 m: 1 F 6.0 mm (MNHN-Ga3745) .

Fiji. BORDAU 1 . Stn CP 1412, 16°05.52’S, 179°28.05’W, 26 February 1999, 400– 407 m: 1 ov. F 10.5 mm .

Diagnosis. Rostrum spiniform, larger than supraocular spines, with thin dorsal carina; margin between rostral and supraocular spines straight or slightly concave. Spinules on gastric and hepatic regions forming groups arising from scale-like striae and with few short uniramous setae. Mesogastric region with 3 welldeveloped spines. Median cardiac region with 3 or 4 well-developed spines in midline. Few and short setae along anterior branch of cervical groove. Sternal plastron smooth, with some median striae on sternite 4, and few short lateral striae on sternites 5–7. Lateral margin of antennular segment 1 with distal slender portion about half as long as proximal inflated portion. Antennal peduncle with anterior prolongation of segment 1 spiniform; segment 2 slightly longer than broad, with distomesial spine spiniform, overreaching end of segment 3 but not reaching end of antennal peduncle, distolateral spine not reaching end of segment 3; segment 3 as long as broad. Base of P1 carpus without bundle of setae. P2 propodus about 10 times as long as wide, and about 1.5 times dactylus length.

Remarks. This species resembles P. achernar n. sp. from Tonga from which it can be distinguished by the following characters:

— The strong anterior prolongation on the antennal segment distinctly overreaches the antennular peduncle in P. cretata , whereas this prolongation slightly overreaches the antennular segment 1 in P. achernar .

— The antennal segment 2 is twice longer than wide in P. achernar and slightly longer than wide in P. cretata .

The genetic divergences between P. achernar and P. cretata were 2.83% (16S rRNA) and 7.57% (ND1).

Paramunida cretata is also related to P. amphitrita from Futuna, Fiji, Tonga and New Caledonia islands. The two species can be easily differentiated by the shape of segment 3 of the antennal peduncle and the length of the distomesial spine of segment 2. Segment 3 is as long as broad in P. cretata , whereas it is more than twice longer than broad in P. amphitrita . The distomesial spine of segment 2 is nearly as long as the rest of the segment in P. amphitrita , whereas this spine is clearly much shorter than the rest of the segment in P. cretata . The genetic divergences between P. amphitrita and P. cretata were 5.12% (16S rRNA) and 13.68% (ND1).

Distribution. Waterwitch Bank, Wallis Islands and Fiji, 300– 497 m.