Notopodinae Serène & Umali, 1972

Van Bakel, Barry W. M., Guinot, Danièle, Artal, Pedro, Fraaije, René H. B. & Jagt, John W. M., 2012, A revision of the Palaeocorystoidea and the phylogeny of raninoidian crabs (Crustacea, Decapoda, Brachyura, Podotremata) 3215, Zootaxa 3215 (1), pp. 1-216 : 101-103

Subfamily Notopodinae Serène & Umali, 1972

Notopodinae Serène & Umali, 1972: 29 .

Included tribes. Notopodini Serène & Umali, 1972 and Cosmonotini Števčić, 2005 .

Genera included. Cosmonotus Adams &White in White, 1848, Eumorphocorystes van Binkhorst, 1857 , Lianira Beschin, Busulini, De Angeli, Tessier & Ungaro, 1991 , Lovarina Beschin, Busulini, De Angeli, Tessier & Ungaro, 1991 , Notopella Lőrenthey in Lőrenthey & Beurlen, 1929, Notopus De Haan, 1841 , Ponotus Karasawa & Ohara, 2009 , Ranilia H. Milne Edwards, 1837 , Raniliformis Jagt, Collins & Fraaye, 1993 , Ranidina Bittner, 1893 , and Umalia Guinot, 1993 .

Diagnosis. Carapace subovate, urn shaped, widened or narrowing anteriorly, regularly convex or strongly constricted, chevron shaped or with medial keel. Dorsal surface smooth or ornamented with granules, squamiform tubercles, striae, pits, transverse rows of granules, raised granular rods, or transverse spinulate ridge between anterolateral spines; no visible carapace grooves. Anterolateral margin with single spine. Orbitofrontal margin wide; rostrum prominent, narrow, ventrally keeled, generally downturned, or absent, replaced by a V-shaped emargination. Orbits generally long or relatively short, from near-horizontal to positioned downwards, directed obliquely backwards, always deeply excavated. Supraorbital margin long or produced, flabelliform ( Lianira ), with 1, 2 fissures, with medial tooth or several spines. Eyestalk relatively short, flattened, or long to conspicuously long (longer than the half carapace length), slender; composed of 3 articles, 2 short proximal ones, distal article long, can be entirely retracted into orbit; cornea may be reduced. Antennary fossae situated behind antennulary fossae. Antennules, antennae highly specialised. Antennule not folded, hidden by antenna; basal article much developed, following articles flattened. Proepistome shield shaped, strongly keeled medially, posteriorly narrow. Antenna stout: article 1 admedial in position, short antero-posteriorly but wide ventrally, largely concealed by subantennary lobe of pterygostome, with urinal opening at inner angle; articles 2, 3 fused, but with suture still distinct, lying directly in front of subantennary lobe of the pterygostome; article 2 lying on same level as article 1, external to it, also small, partially concealed by subantennary lobe of pterygostome; article 3 large, subquadrangular, slightly concave internally, its admedial margin being prominent, curved, its external angle not projected or with a projection which embraces proximal part of article 4; articles 4, 5 fairly long, with fringes of plumose setae which interlock with setae of the antenna of the other side; flagellum long, with rows of setae which similarly interlock with setae of the other antenna. Thus, this forms a fully functional water-tube ( Bourne 1922b: 61). Epistome broad triangular or Vshaped. Subantennary lobe of the pterygostome well developed. Mxp3 operculiform, moderately or distinctly elongated, tapering; ischium with transverse or oblique ridge; merus shorter or longer than ischium. Exposed pleurites 5, 6 large, 7 small, forming flat area, not overhung by edge of branchiostegite, which is not prominent. Sternum/ pterygostome junction developed; sternum/exposed pleurites connections large between P1, P2, absent between P2, P3.

Thoracic sternum strongly deflected at level of sternites 7, 8; sternite 3 variously crown shaped; sternite 4 rather wide, with long anterolateral extensions; suture 4/5 crescent shaped, elongated, or indistinct; sternites 4, 5 ridged; sternites 5–7 narrow; sternite 8 saddle shaped, with long posterolateral extensions. Medial line along sternites 5‒7 or 6, 7. Anterior part of sternite 7 with elongated, deep, medial depression with 2 small apertures of the spermathecae.

Chelipeds homochelous, homodontous. Basis-ischium short, immoveably fused with long merus, fitting closely with the patch of dense setae on lateral pterygostomial sides. Propodus short, high, flattened; its upper, lower margins unarmed; dactylus nearly bent at right angles against anterior border of palm, prehensile border with low, blunt teeth; fixed finger diminutive. P2–P5 rather similar in size, shape, strongly compressed laterally; P4 dactylus distally tapering, acute, or blunt, truncate or foliaceous, or elongated, quadrangular. Coxa of P4 subdorsally located. P5 more dorsal, barely reduced, with remarkably large coxa; propodus short, broad, dactylus lanceolated.

Sterno-abdominal cavity absent. Abdomen small, freely articulated, 6 articles plus telson, incompletely folded, first articles dorsal, wide in male, sexual dimorphism indistinct: abdomen barely enlarged in female.

Posterior branchial orifices absent; respiration only frontal.

Remarks. Posterior branchial orifices are not found in any member of the subfamily Notopodinae . Both antennules and antennae are highly specialised and serve to generate an inhalant water current. Bourne (1922b: 62) suspected that Notopus dorsipes made use of the posterior branchial orifices only when it was buried in the loose upper stratum of the sand, but the antennary water tube was brought into action when it had dug down into the more compact, deeper layers of sand with restricted source of water. But because of the absence of posterior branchial orifices, it is probable that Notopus and Ranilia , as well as Cosmonotus , always use the flagellae of the antennae as a water tube, with a possible reversion of the current.

The vaulted or roof-shaped carapace affects the positioning of the branchial chamber and the gills, which have become vertically oriented.