Alcomaja latens, Ng & Forges, 2015

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 : 152

publication ID	https://doi.org/ 10.5281/zenodo.5384590
publication LSID	lsid:zoobank.org:pub:40BCDD62-D35E-46D1-95A3-2CC0DF219DEE
DOI	https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.5466799
persistent identifier	https://treatment.plazi.org/id/BD7762D7-E054-4F37-B9D7-EBD4C3CD5475
taxon LSID	lsid:zoobank.org:act:BD7762D7-E054-4F37-B9D7-EBD4C3CD5475
treatment provided by	Valdenar
scientific name	Alcomaja latens
status	sp. nov.

Treatment

Alcomaja latens View in CoL n. sp.

( Figs. 17D View Fig , 20K–N View Fig , 36N View Fig , 45G View Fig , 49F View Fig )

Material examined. Holotype: male (25.3 × 21.4 mm) (MNHN-IU-2013-4050), station DW 2190, 8°24’S 159°27’E, 140–263 m, Solomon Islands, coll. RV Alis , SALOMON 2, 24 October 2004. GoogleMaps

Diagnosis. Carapace pyriform; dorsal surface of carapace and ambulatory legs covered with short, hooked setae; with small rounded granules ( Fig. 17D View Fig ). Pseudorostral spines with rounded cross-section ( Fig. 36N View Fig ). Antorbital spine almost straight; intercalated spine subtruncate basally; postocular spine strong, pointing anteriorly and outwards; 1 distinct hepatic spine with small basal spine ( Fig. 36N View Fig ). Lateral and branchial spines strong in juveniles and adults ( Fig. 17D View Fig ). Subhepatic region with rugose and weakly granulated surface. Basal antennal article with low granules and 2 tubercles, with 2 distal spines. Ischium of third maxilliped almost smooth to slightly rugose ( Fig. 45G View Fig ). Ambulatory legs relatively short, first leg never twice length of carapace; surfaces distinctly setose ( Fig. 17D View Fig ). G1 gently curved, with distal part gently curved upwards ( Fig. 20K–N View Fig ).

Etymology. The name is derived from the Latin for “hidden”, alluding to a general absence of external characters to separate the new species from A. nagashimaensis .

Remarks. Alcomaja latens n. sp. is very close to A. nagashimaensis (T. Sakai, 1969) and the two species can only be effectively separated by the form of the G1. In Alcomaja latens , the dorsal part is gently bent upwards ( Fig. 20K–N View Fig ) while in A. nagashimaensis , it is gently curved downwards ( Fig. 20A–J View Fig ). At around the same size as the holotype of A. latens , a male specimen of A. nagashimaensis already has distinctly inflated chelipeds.