Cherusius triunguiculatus (Borradaile, 1902)

Sun, Yu-Li, Jiang, Wei & Sha, Zhong-Li, 2024, Shallow-water Trapezioidea (Decapoda: Brachyura) from the South China Sea, including two new records, and notes on Tetralia glaberrima Herbst, 1790, Zootaxa 5476 (1), pp. 393-423 : 394-395

Cherusius triunguiculatus (Borradaile, 1902)

( Fig. 1A )

Pseudozius triunguiculatus Borradaile, 1902: 243 , fig. 44.—Rathbun 1906: 861.—Balss 1938: 64.

Cherusius triunguiculatus .— Boyko 2017: 488 , fig. 1A (the Easter Islands).

Jonesius triunguiculatus . — Galil & Takeda 1986: 165, figs. 1–4.— Castro 1999a: 32 ( Indonesia).— Castro et al. 2004: 20, pl. 1B ( New Caledonia).— Liu et al. 2008: 791 (list) (Xisha Islands).— Castro 2011: 78 (Hawaiian Islands).

Maldivia triunguiculata Guinot, 1964: 102 , pl. 4, figs. 1–3, pl. 12, fig. 2; 1967, 271.— Serène 1984: 297, fig. 206–207.

Jonesius minuta Sankarankutty, 1962: 141 , figs. 42–45.

Maldivia gardineri Rathbun, 1911: 233 , pl. 19, figs. 5, 6.

Maldivia galapagensis Garth, 1939: 22 , pl. 8, figs. 1–6.

Material examined. Xisha Islands: The Seven Connected Islets, 112°16.2’E 16°58.0’N, 10 m, coll. Shaobo Ma, Yuli Sun, Ziming Yuan, 19 May 2022, 1 male (3.18 × 2.75 mm), 1 pre-adult (1.74 × 1.57 mm), XS-QL-2022-1013, in Faviidae ; 1 male (2.94 × 2.57 mm), XS-QL-2022-1066, in Leptastrea sp. ( Faviidae ).

Geographical distribution. Across Indo-West Pacific and Tropical Eastern Pacific regions ( Castro 2011).

Remarks. The preoccupied Jonesius Sankarankutty, 1962 , was replaced by Cherusius ( Low & Ng 2012) . Cherusius triunguiculatus is rarely reported ( Castro 2015), this is the first live colouration of this species from Chinese waters. A male specimen collected from a Leptastrea sp. ( Faviidae ) colony has a dark brown patch on the lower middle part of the mobile finger of the chelipeds ( Fig. 1A , XS-QL-2022-1066). The other two specimens without the dark brown patch were collected from a Faviidae .

Figures

FIGURE 1. A, Cherusius triunguiculatus Borradaile, 1902, male (2.94 × 2.57 mm) (XS-QL-2022-1066), Xisha Islands, Seven Connected Islets; B, Domecia glabra Alcock, 1899, female (4.93 × 4.18 mm) (NS-YS-2022-1056), Nansha Islands, Fiery Cross Reef; C, Domecia hispida Eydoux & Souleyet, 1842, male (4.62 × 4.01 mm) (XS-QL-2022-1064), Xisha Islands, Seven Connected Islets; D, Domecia hispida, megalopa (1.69 × 2.30 mm) (NS-YS-2022-1258), Nansha Islands, Fiery Cross Reef; E, Palmyria palmyrensis Rathbun in Edmondson, 1923, ovigerous female (4.11 × 3.21 mm) (XS-QL-2022-1065), Xisha Islands, Seven Connected Islets.