Sakaija africana (Griffin & Tranter, 1986)

Muñoz, Isabel, García-Isarch, Eva & Cuesta, Jose A., 2021, Annotated and updated checklist of marine crabs (Decapoda: Brachyura) of Mozambique supported by morphological and molecular data from shelf and slope species of the “ MOZAMBIQUE ” surveys, Zootaxa 5056 (1), pp. 1-67 : 38

Sakaija africana (Griffin & Tranter, 1986)

( Figure 13C )

Material examined. M08, Stn. 18, 217m, ♀ 18.8× 24.6mm ( CW × PRL) (IEO-CD-MZ08/1784) , 16S ( MZ 424959 ) , COI ( MZ 434805 ) .

Habitat and distribution. Sakaija is a new genus described by Ng & Richer de Forges in 2015, that previously belonged to Maja . This species seems common in the Mozambique Channel at depths around 300m ( Ng & Richer de Forges 2015). It was recorded between 244–301m in Mozambican waters ( Emmerson 2016c).

Results and remarks. Our specimen agrees well with the descriptions and figures of Griffin & Tranter (1986) and Ng & Richer de Forges (2015). Only one specimen was revised, that had been collected at 217m in MZ08. This record extends the minimum depth from 244 to 217m.

Colouration observed. The carapace was bright orange with red tubercles on it, except on its posterior edge, where the tubercles are white. The postorbital and intestinal spines had white tips and the pseudorostral spines were red. Legs were whitish, with a wide orange transversal band on the carpus. After preservation, all the specimens turned to bone colour with orangish merus and carpus.

DNA barcodes. There are not 16S and COI sequences available for this genus and species on any public database. Therefore, these are the first 16S and COI sequences obtained for this genus and species. The BLAST and BOLD searches do not match with any sequence>95% of similarity.

Figures

FIGURE 13. A, Platymaia turbynei, ♂ IEO-CD-MZ07/1924; B, Paramaja gibba, ♀ IEO-CD-MZ08/1820; C, Sakaija africana ♀ IEO-CD-MZ08/1784; D, Pleistacantha ori, ♀ IEO-CD-MZ08/12545; E, Parathranites ori, ♀ IEO-CD-MZ08/1767; F, Paratranites granosus, ♀ IEO-CD-Mz08/1785; G, Parathranites orientalis, ♀ IEO-CD-MZ07/1909 (preserved). Scale bars: 1cm.