Medaeops granulosus ( Haswell, 1882 )

Mendoza, Jose Christopher E. & Ng, Peter K. L., 2009, A new xanthid crab of the genus Medaeops Guinot, 1967, from Peninsular Malaysia, with a note on Leptodius granulosus Haswell, 1882 (Crustacea: Decapoda: Brachyura: Xanthidae), Zootaxa 2297, pp. 44-54 : 51

Medaeops granulosus ( Haswell, 1882)

( Figs. 2A–C , 3 C, D, 5A, B, 6)

Leptodius granulosus Haswell, 1882: 61 .

Xantho macgillivrayi Miers, 1884: 211 , pl. 20, fig. C.

Lophozozymus (Lophoxanthus) bellus var. leucomanus — Miers, 1886: 115, pl. 11, fig. 1. [not Xanthodes leucomanus Lockington, 1877 ].

Lophopanopeus japonicus Rathbun, 1898: 272 .

Lophoxanthus erosus Parisi, 1916: 181 , fig. 4.— Menzies, 1948: 21, pl. 4, fig. 33.

Medaeus granulosus — Odhner, 1925: 61.— Gordon, 1931: 543, figs. 19, 22A.— Sakai, 1936: 152, fig. 74, pl. 46, fig. 1; 1939: 459, pl. 59, fig. 1, pl. 90, fig. 5; 1965: 135, pl. 69, fig. 2.— Buitendijk, 1950: 75.

Medaeops granulosus — Guinot 1967: 366, fig. 40.— Serène & Umali 1972: 65, figs. 58, 59, pl. 7, figs. 1, 2.— Serène & Vadon 1981: 122. —Ho et al., 2004: 657, fig. 5h.—Ng et al., 2008: 199 (list).— Davie, 2002: 536.

Remarks. Haswell (1882) described a new species, Leptodius granulosus , from material collected in Port Denison, eastern Australia. This species was subsequently selected by Guinot (1967) to be the type species of Medaeops . Guinot (1967) also recognised Xantho macgillivrayi Miers, 1884 , Lophopanopeus japonicus Rathbun, 1898 , and Lophoxanthus erosus Parisi, 1916 , as subjective junior synonyms of the species. We examined, photographs of type material of Leptodius granulosus deposited at the Australian Museum in Sydney (see Comparative Material). Of the three lots which were found, only one (AM P40834) is clearly syntypic material (see Davie, 2002) based on their accompanying labels ( Fig. 6 ), whereas the remaining lots (AM G5573 and AM P194), despite having been collected from the type locality (Port Denison), have doubtful type status as the accompanying labels merely state that they are “apparently the types ” or “possible syntypes ”. As a further complication, the syntypic lot (AM P40834) consists of two specimens, male and female, which are clearly not conspecific. The female specimen is clearly referable to Medaeops granulosus sensu stricto, whereas the male is actually Medaeops edwardsi Guinot, 1967 , previously known only from the western Indian Ocean. In order to stabilize the taxonomy of Leptodius granulosus Haswell, 1882 , we hereby designate the female syntype (AM P40834) as the lectotype. The remaining two lots, AM G5573 (2 males) and AM P194 (2 females) remain possible syntypes until such a time when more information is available.

Figures

FIGURE 6. Leptodius granulosus Haswell, 1882, lectotype female (dry), 15.7 by 10.8 mm (AM P 40834), Port Denison, Queensland, Australia.

FIGURE 2. A – C, Medaeops granulosus (Haswell, 1882), male, 20.7 x 14.6 mm (ZRC 1965.11.10.46 - 50), Lindeman Island, Queensland, Australia; D, E, Medaeops neglectus (Balss, 1922), male, 17.2 x 11.5 mm (MNHN-B 6534), Shimoni, Kenya. A, D, full dorsal view; B, E, anterior view; C, F, ventral view.

FIGURE 3. A, B, Medaeops potens new species, male holotype (ZRC 2009.0811); C, D, Medaeops granulosus (Haswell, 1882), male (ZRC 1965.11.10.46 - 50), Lindeman Island, Queensland, Australia; E, F, Medaeops neglectus (Balss, 1922) male (MNHN-B 6534), Shimoni, Kenya. A – C, major chela, external view; D – F, ambulatory legs (P 4, P 5), dorsal view.