Paramunida granulata ( Henderson, 1885 )

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 : 23

Paramunida granulata ( Henderson, 1885)

( Figs. 13C, 16I)

Munida granulata Henderson, 1885: 409 (S of the Fiji Islands, 549 m); 1888: 133, pl. 14, figs 3, 3a, 3b (off Matuku, Fiji, 576 m).

Paramunida granulata Baba 1988: 176 , fig. 72 ( Moluccas off W coast of Halmahera, 545 m). — Macpherson 1993: 452, figs 3, 13 ( New Caledonia, Loyalty Islands and Indonesia; reexamination of type material; 439–650 m); 1996: 412 [SW Pacific ( Futuna Island, Wallis Islands, Bayonnaise Bank), 400–450 m]; 2004: 287 ( Fiji and Tonga, 395–592 m). — Ahyong & Poore 2004: 68 (Queensland, 548 m). — Baba 2005: 302 (key, synonymies). — Baba et al. 2008: 172 (list of occurrences).

Material examined. Tonga. BORDAU 2 . Stn CP 1640, 21º09.14’S, 175º23.96’W, 21 June 2000, 564– 569 m: 2 M 9.6–10.2 mm, 2 ov. F 9.8–12.7 mm .

Vanuatu. MUSORSTOM 8. Stn CP 1027, 17°53.05'S, 168°39.35'E, 28 September 1994, 550– 571 m: 6 M 7.0– 12.4 mm, 1 F 10.8 mm .

Loyalty Islands. MUSORSTOM 6. Stn DW 468, 21º05.86’S, 167º32.98’E, 21 February 1986, 600 m: 1 M 11.5 mm (MNHN-Ga 3218) .

Diagnosis. Rostrum triangular, 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 1 welldeveloped spine. Median cardiac region with 3 or 4 well-developed spines. Few and short setae along anterior branch of cervical groove. Sternal plastron squamate, with numerous striae on sternites 4–7. 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 twice longer than broad, with distomesial spine long, almost reaching end of anterior prolongation of segment 1, distolateral spine nearly reaching end of segment 3; segment 3 1.5 times longer than broad. Base of P1 carpus without bundle of setae. P2 propodus 7–8 times as long as wide, and 1.2–1.3 times longer than dactylus.

Remarks. Paramunida granulata is morphologically and genetically very different from the other species of the genus. This species is unique in having the distomesial spine of antennal segment 2 very long, almost reaching the end of the anterior prolongation of segment 1. This distomesial spine is always much shorter in the other species of Paramunida .

The genetic divergences between P. granulata and the other species of Paramunida are always greater than 8% (16S rRNA) and 16% (ND1).

Distribution. Philippines, Indonesia, Queensland, New Caledonia, Loyalty Islands, Fiji, Tonga, Futuna Island, Vanuatu, Wallis Islands and Bayonnaise Bank, between 395 and 650 m.