Ethusa furca Chen, 1993

Castro, Peter, 2005, Crabs of the subfamily Ethusinae Guinot, 1977 (Crustacea, Decapoda, Brachyura, Dorippidae) of the Indo-West Pacific region, Zoosystema 27 (3), pp. 499-600 : 521

Ethusa furca Chen, 1993

Ethusa furca Chen, 1993: 317 (key), 321, fig. 4; 2000: 426.

TYPE MATERIAL. — Holotype: cl 6. 0 mm, cw 5.1 mm, MUSORSTOM 6, stn CP 485 ( MNHN- B 21521); paratypes:, damaged, MUSORSTOM 4, stn DW 162 ( MNHN-B 18403 );, MUSORSTOM 5, stn CP 324 ( IOAS).

TYPE LOCALITY. — Loyalty Islands, 21°23.48’S, 167°59.33’E, 350 m.

MATERIAL EXAMINED. — Vanuatu. MUSORSTOM 8, stn CP 980, 19°21.02’S, 169°25.22’E, 450- 433 m, 22.IX.1994, 1 ( MNHN-B 27493).

New Caledonia. MUSORSTOM 4, stn DW 162, 18°35.0’S, 163°10.3’E, 525 m, 16.IX.1985, 1 paratype ( MNHN-B 18403).

Loyalty Islands. MUSORSTOM 6, stn CP 485, 21°23.48’S, 167°59.33’E, 350 m, 23.II.1989, 1 holotype ( MNHN-B 21521).

DISTRIBUTION. — Vanuatu, New Caledonia, and Loyalty Is. Depth: 350-970 m ( Chen 1993) ( Fig. 34 ). SIZE. — Maximum size: cl 6.0 mm, cw 5.1 mm ( MNHN-B 21521), unknown.

REMARKS

Ethusa furca is known from only four male specimens. The carapace has, like E. quadrata Sakai, 1937 , and E. hawaiiensis Rathbun, 1906 , straight sides parallel to each other, giving it a distinctive square appearance. In contrast to these two species, E. furca has only two frontal teeth, the median frontal teeth being lobe-like, and the G1 and G2 are uniquely biramous, or forked ( Chen 1993: fig. 4g-k). Other differences from E. hawaiiensis are given in the Remarks of this species (see below).

Figures

FIG. 34. — Bathymetric distribution of Indo-West Pacific ethusine crabs.