Fultodromia nodipes (Guérin, 1832)

Mclay, Colin L. & Hosie, Andrew M., 2022, The sponge crabs of Western Australia and the Northwest Shelf with descriptions of new genera and species (Crustacea: Brachyura: Dromiidae), Zootaxa 5129 (3), pp. 301-355 : 329-333

Fultodromia nodipes (Guérin, 1832)

( Figs. 19–21 )

Dromia nodipes Guérin, 1832: 11 , pl. 14, fig. 1.— Milne Edwards, 1837: 177.— Brocchi, 1877: 106, pl. 15 figs. 65–67.— Cleva et al., 2007: 242 .

Cryptodromia depressa Baker, 1906: 180 , pl. 25 figs, 1, 1a, 1b.

Dromidiopsis michaelseni Balss, 1935: 113 , text figs 1–3.

Petalomera depressa . — Hale, 1927: 112, fig. 110.

Fultodromia nodipes . — McLay, 1993: 162.— Davie, 2002: 164.— Cleva et al., 2007: 242.— Poore, 2004: 306, fig. 85a.— Poore et al., 2008: 37, text photo.

Type material. Lectotype: MNHN-B15, female 22.5 × 23.0 mm, precise locality uncertain but probably Western Australia (see Cleva et al. 2007).

Other material examined. Western Australia: ZMH K11578 , Cockburn Sound, 14.5–18 m, Hamburg Museum Expedition to South West Australia, 1905: 1 female 22.6 × 23.8 mm (lectotype of Dromidiopsis michaelseni Balss, 1935 ); ZMH K11577 , Shark Bay, Freycinet Estuary, 7–11 m, Hamburg Museum Expedition to South West Australia, 1905: female 16.0 × 17.0 mm (paralectotype of Dromidiopsis michaelseni Balss, 1935 ); WAM C13496, Cockburn Sound, 32°10.85’S, 115°45.2’E, coll. L. Marsh on FRV Flinders, 27-09-1973: female 19.0 × 20.3 mm; WAM C13497, Cockburn Sound, 32°09.6’S, 115°45’E, coll. L. Marsh, 27-09-1973: male 18.1 × 18.6 mm (sponge cap); WAM C13498, Cockburn Sound, Central Basin,, stat. 17, L. Marsh on FRV Flinders, 6-11-1974: male 9.2 × 10.0 mm (sponge cap); WAM C13499, Point Cloates, Ningaloo Expedition, 22°37’S, 113°38’E, 2–6 m, box dredge, sand, sponge, dead shell, 30-08-1968: female 16.0 × 16.2 mm (sponge cap); WAM C13515, Woodman’s Point, Garden Island, trawled M. H. Shepherd, 18 m, 17-03-1971: 5 males 14.0 × 15.0 mm, 15.3 × 16.1 mm (sponge cap), 16.0 × 17.0 mm, 18.0 × 19.5 mm, 20.0 × 21.5 mm (compound ascidian cap), 3 females 12.5 × 13.5 mm (compound ascidian cap), 14.5 × 15.4 mm (sponge cap), 19.0 × 20.1 mm (sponge cap), 2 ovig. females 16.8 × 18.4 mm, 18.0 × 19.0 mm (compound ascidian cap); WAM C13519,Cockburn Sound, Jervois Groyne, under stones, intertidal, coll. G. W. Kendrick, 20-10-1963: male 10.3 × 10.8 mm; WAM C13529, Cockburn Sound, Jervois Groyne, amongst Posidonia , 1-01-1958: male 9.0 × 9.5 mm; WAM C13533 - Cockburn Sound, North end, coll. L. Marsh, 29-11- 1972: male 9.0 × 10.0 mm (sponge cap); WAM C13536, South Freemantle Power House, trawled, 16-12-1959: female 9.8 × 10.1 mm (sponge cap,? Suberites sp. ), male 20.5 × 21.0 mm (sponge cap? Suberites sp. ); WAM C13536, Cockburn Sound, stat. 55, 2-12-1959: female 10.5 × 11.0 mm (sponge cap? Suberites sp. ); WAM C13538, Garden Island, 32°8.60’S, 115°41.55’E, 6-06-1980: male 16.1 × 17.2 mm (sponge cap); WAM C13549, near Albany, EP15, 10 m, coll. R.W.G., 3-03-1982: female 13.2 × 14.0 mm; WAM C13559, Cockburn Sound, W of Kuimana, dredged, coll. P. Cawthorn, 30-07-1961: female 14.6 × 15.3 mm; WAM C13562, Woodman’s Point, Cockburn Sound, coll. B. R. Wilson, 13-02-1972: ovig. female 19.5 × 20.3 mm, male 25.5 × 26.3 mm; WAM C13562 (part), Cliff Head, 35 km SW, 29°40’S, 114°42’E, 44 m, 17-11-1976: female 13.4 × 14.1 mm; WAM C40011, Jervois Bay, Cockburn Sound, 32°10.80`S 115°45.15`E, coll. A. Sampey, WA Cockburn SCC Subtidal Biodiversity Project Survey, 13-12-2007: male 9.8 × 10.0 mm; WAM C55525, Shark Bay, 25°33.62`S 113°13.12`E, 19 m, coll. S. Morrison, 27-9-2003: male 9.6 × 9.9 mm; WAM C59671, 3 km W of Poivre Reef, Pilbara Shelf, 20°58’52”S 115°16’11”E, coll. E. Morello et al., CSIRO Pilbara Survey, 17-06-2013: male 10.8 × 11.1 mm: WAM C69966, Lynher Bank, 15°48’14.10”S, 22°22’03.78”E, coll. J. Fromont & J. Ritchie, WAMSI Survey 4 Lynher Bank, 01-11-2016: female 18.8 × 19.1 mm.

Description. Carapace as wide as long, covered by short tomentum, moderately convex, branchial and cardiac grooves distinct. Anterior half of carapace sparsely covered by low rounded tubercles, irregular in distribution and density. Rostral, orbital and anterolateral teeth are distinctive in being blunt and flattened. Some teeth also few low rounded granules. Rostrum tridentate, lateral teeth prominent, median tooth much smaller, strongly deflexed and barely visible dorsally. Short frontal groove extends backward from median tooth. Supraorbital and post-orbital teeth strong. Suborbital margin has 2 blunt teeth, larger tooth easily visible dorsally between supra- and postorbital teeth. Subhepatic area with scattered low rounded tubercles, largest visible dorsally between postorbital and first anterolateral teeth. Outer face of third maxillipeds also tuberculate. Anterolateral carapace margin convex, with 3 teeth decreasing in size posteriorly; smaller subacute posterolateral tooth marks branchial groove.

Chelipeds and first 2 pairs of legs thickly covered with short coarse setae and tubercles similar to carapace. Cheliped fingers gaping armed with 6 or 7 teeth only last 3 interlocking. First and second legs slightly shorter than cheliped, inner margins of dactyli with 4 spines increasing in size distally. Fourth and fifth legs sub-dorsal, shorter, third pair shortest; dactylus of fourth leg with 2 strong propodal spines opposing and 3 spines on outer margin at base of dactyl; dactylus of third leg opposed by 2 strong spines with 2 spines on outer margin.

Surface of abdominal segments tuberculate, freely moveable, abdomen fringed with longer setae; uropod plates visible externally locking in front of tubercles on coxae of first legs in males; posterior margin of telson concave in males, convex in females. Female sternal sutures 7/8 convergent ending apart on low rounded transverse ridge between chelipeds.

Remarks. Examination of the lectotype of “ Dromidiopsis michaelseni Balss, 1935 ” shows that it is referable to “ Dromia nodipes Lamarck, 1818 ”, confirming the opinion of McLay (1993). The figure of D. michaelseni provided by Balss (1935: fig. 1) is not a very accurate representation of the holotype specimen collected by the Hamburg Museum Expedition. While the figured CW/CL ratio is similar to the lectotype, the outline of the carapace is much distorted by anterior half being narrowed and the posterior half widened as though the crab was viewed from a posterior perspective, thereby stretching the front. However, the size and arrangement of the anterolateral teeth match the lectotype. This has led to identification problems, perhaps explaining why Balss’ species has never been reported subsequently.

Hale’s (1927: fig. 110) labelled “ Petalomera depressa Baker, 1907 ) shows a specimen of Fultodromia nodipes ( Lamarck, 1818) . McLay (1993: p1. 62) included Cryptodromia depressa Baker, 1907 in Fultodromia , as a synonym of F. nodipes ,

Distribution. Known only from Western Australia; intertidal to 44 m.

Figures

FIGURE 19. Dromia nodipes Guerin, 1832, lectotype female, 22.5 × 23.0 mm (MNHN-B15): A, dorsal view; B, ventral view of frontal area.

FIGURE 20. Dromidiopsis michaelseni Balss, 1935, lectotype female, 22.5 × 22.5 mm (K11578): A, dorsal view; B, ventral view.

FIGURE 21. Fultodromia nodipes (Guerin, 1832), male 20.0 × 21.5 mm (WAM 73-83): A, dorsal view; B, frontal view with sponge cap; C, ventral view; D, details of frontal area.