Maja brachydactyla Balss, 1922

Ng, Peter K. L. & Forges, Bertrand Richer De, 2015, Revision of the spider crab genus Maja Lamarck, 1801 (Crustacea: Brachyura: Majoidea: Majidae), with descriptions of seven new genera and 17 new species from the Atlantic and Indo-West Pacific, Raffles Bulletin of Zoology 63, pp. 110-225 : 122-123

publication ID	https://doi.org/ 10.5281/zenodo.5384590
publication LSID	lsid:zoobank.org:pub:40BCDD62-D35E-46D1-95A3-2CC0DF219DEE
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scientific name	Maja brachydactyla Balss, 1922
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Maja brachydactyla Balss, 1922 View in CoL

( Figs. 2A View Fig , 3E View Fig , 4C–F View Fig , 7D–I View Fig , 36B, C View Fig , 39B View Fig , 41B View Fig , 43C, D View Fig , 47C, D View Fig , 52A View Fig , 53B, C View Fig , 55B View Fig )

Cancer cornutus – Fabricius, 1787: 325 (not Cancer cornutus

Linnaeus, 1758). Maja squinado var. brachydactyla Balss, 1922: 74 View in CoL . Maia gigantea Baudouin, 1931: 256 View in CoL . Maja squinado View in CoL – Takeda, 1982: 129. – Takeda, 1993: 43. – Muraoka,

1998: 27, pl. 14 fig. 3 (not Cancer squinado Herbst, 1788 ). Maja brachydactyla – Neumann, 1998: 1672. – d’Udekem d’Acoz,

1999: 188. – Abelló et al., 2014:e77. – Moro et al., 2014: 52. [For complete synonymy, see Neumann, 1998: 1672; d’Udekem d’Acoz, 1999: 188–189].

Material examined. Spain – 1 male (161.2 × 140.1 mm), 1 ovigerous female (143.2 × 127.6 mm) ( ZRC 2008.0179 View Materials ), northwest of Baiona , from fishermen, 25 January 2008 . — 1 female ( NHM 1956.5.2.49), Lanzarote . — 1 male ( USNM 122017 View Materials ), northwestern Spain . Portugal – 1 male ( NHM 98.1.28.1), Madeira . England – 2 males (98.4 × 89.0 mm, 92.6 × 75.5 mm) , 1 female (127.8 × 111.9 mm), 1 ovigerous female (119.0 × 103.0 mm) ( ZRC 2009.1130 View Materials ), Worbarrow Bay , south Dorset, 5 m, 50°37.06’N 2°11.23’W, U.K., coll. S. De Grave, 5 June 2005 GoogleMaps . — 1 female ( NHM 1983.46 ), Thorn Island , Pembrokeshire, 10 m, coll. 10 August 1981 . — 1 female ( NHM 1983.46 ), Knoll Pins, Lundy , 22 m, coll. 3 September 1982 . — 1 female ( NHM 1985.11 ), Eastbourne , coll. 8 August 1984 . — 1 female ( NHM 1983.44 ), Littlehampton , 50°39.11’N 00°36.9’W, coll. 29 July 1983 GoogleMaps . — 1 female ( NHM 1959.10.15.1), Langston Harbour, Portsmouth . — 2 males, 2 females ( NHM 1965.12 ), Durdle Door , Dorset, coll. 6 June 1965 . — 2 females ( NHM 1983.448 ), Start Bay , Devon . — 2 females ( NHM 1983.44 ), Devon, Start Bay, off Hall Sands , 12 m, 10 May 1981 . — 1 female ( NHM 1981.54 ), Devon, Brixham Harbour , 5 m, coll. 9 July 1981 . — 1 female ( NHM 1902.3.10.2), Plymouth . — 1 female ( NHM 1981.237 ), Plymouth . — 1 male ( NHM 98.5.7.264), Falmouth . — 1 male ( NHM 1984.454 ), mouth of Fal river, Trefusis Point , 50°9.8’N 5°3.1’W, coll. 4 July 1984 GoogleMaps . — 2 females ( NHM), Cornwall . — 1 male, 1 female ( NHM 1981.37 ), Belle Creve Bay, Guernsey , coll. 11 June 1981 . — 1 male, 3 females ( NHM), Guernsey , coll. September 1982 . — 1 male ( NHM), Rocquaire Bay, Guernsey , coll. 18 August 1982 . — 1 male, 4 females ( NHM 1951.1.25.134–136), English Channel coast . — 3 males, 4 females ( NHM), southern England . — 1 male ( USNM 6773 View Materials ), England , from A. M. Norman . — 1 male, 1 female ( USNM), Channel Islands , coll. E. Lovett. — 1 male ( NSMT 3805 View Materials ), Portsmouth, Devon, English coasts, no other data . Ireland – 1 male ( NHM 1982.13 ), Galway Bay , 10 m, coll. 27 August 1981 . Morocco – 1 male (61.5 × 53.8 mm) (MNHN-IU-2013-4039), coll. Lt. Dyé, 1905 .

Diagnosis. Large species (adult carapace length in excess of 90–100 mm). Carapace pyriform, more rounded in large specimens; dorsal surface strongly convex; uniformly covered with granules and short spines ( Fig. 4C–F View Fig ). Pseudorostral spines long, gently curved to almost straight, gently diverging ( Figs. 4C–F View Fig , 36B, C View Fig ). Supraorbital eave relatively narrow, antorbital spine sharp, almost straight to gently curved upwards; intercalated spine stout, short, touching postorbital spine basally; postorbital spine largest, long, sharp; hepatic spine sharp with 2 accessory spines basally ( Figs. 4C–F View Fig , 36B, C View Fig ). Lateral margin of carapace with 3 spines and several small sharp granules and short spines ( Fig. 4C–F View Fig ). On median row 7 strong spines: 3 gastric, 2 subgastric, 1 cardiac, 1 intestinal, with 1 sharp granule between cardiac and intestinal spines; spines relatively lower in large specimens ( Fig. 4C–F View Fig ). Branchial region with 2 spines; posterior carapace margin with 2 short spines ( Fig. 4C–F View Fig ). Basal antennal article very broad with 2 long distal spines; outer margin with proximal spine, appressed on suborbital tooth ( Fig. 39B View Fig ). Ischium of third maxilliped rectangular, much longer than broad ( Fig. 43C, D View Fig ). Carpus of cheliped with distinct tubercles and granules ( Fig. 53B, C View Fig ). Ambulatory dactyli covered with short setae ( Fig. 55B View Fig ). G1 long, gently curved; distal part gently curved downwards ( Fig. 7D–I View Fig ).

Remarks. Small specimens of M. brachydactyla tend to be more spiny overall, with the lateral spines relatively stronger ( Fig. 4C View Fig ) compared to larger ones ( Fig. 4 View Fig D-F). See also discussion for M. squinado .