Rochinia pulchra ( Miers, 1886 )

Forges, Bertrand Richer de & Poore, Gary C. B., 2008, Deep-sea majoid crabs of the genera Oxypleurodon and Rochinia (Crustacea: Decapoda: Brachyura: Epialtidae) mostly from the continental margin of Western Australia, Memoirs of Museum Victoria 65, pp. 63-70 : 68-69

Rochinia pulchra ( Miers, 1886)

Figure 2b

Anamathia pulchra Miers, 1886: 26 , pl. 4 figs 1a–c.

Scyramathia pulchra .— Alcock, 1895: 202.— Doflein, 1904: 84, pl. 27 fig. 12.

Rochinia pulchra .— Sakai, 1938: 278, fig. 35, pl. 37 fig. 4.— Sakai, 1976: 223, pl. 79 fig. 1.— Serène and Lohavanijaya, 1973: 56, figs 119–122, pl. 11A.— Takeda and Kurata, 1977: 144, fig. 4a, b.— Griffin, 1976: 210.— Griffin and Tranter, 1986b: 363.— Davie and Short, 1989: 181.— Ng and Richer de Forges, 2007: 62.

Not Rochinia pulchra .— Griffin and Tranter, 1986a: 187 (part, NSW specimen) (= Rochinia griffini Davie and Short, 1989 )

Material examined. Australia. WA. Ashmore L30 transect (12°31.46'S – 12°30.50'S, 123°25.38'E – 123°25.22'E), 401–404 m, 07 Jul 2007 (stn SS05/2007 192), NMV J58172 (female 17.3 x 10.7 mm). Kulumburu L 29 transect (13°15.54'S – 13°16.21'S, 123°22.27'E – 123°21.24'E), 394– 390 m, 07 Jul 2007 (stn SS05/2007 180), NMV J58025 (female 31.5 x 20.1, male 34.5 x 21.7 mm). Leveque L 27 transect (14°49.02'S – 14°48.32'S, 121°27.33'E – 121°29.34'E), 407– 392 m, 27 Jun 2007 (stn SS05/2007 107), NMV J55947 (female 23.3 x 16.6 mm). Leveque L 27 transect (14°51.12'S – 14°50.43'S, 121°25.53'E – 121°27.01'E), 403– 396 m, 03 Jul 2007 (stn SS05/2007 144), NMV J58220 (ovigerous female 28.7 x 21.9 mm). Lacepede L 26 transect (15°47.34'S – 15°48.30'S, 121°03.30'E – 121°02.53'E), 119– 111 m, 01 Jul 2007 (stn SS05/2007 129), NMV J55681 (male 12.9 x 10.2 mm) .

Remarks. This species, characterised by its very long and numerous spines, has already been recorded from the north-west slope of Australia. The other records are from Japan to the Philippines. All these specimens are from extreme north WA. Griffin and Tranter (1986a) tentatively identified a female from NSW as this species but it was described as Rochinia griffini Davie and Short, 1989 .

Figures

Figure 2. Lateral and dorsal views, scale = 5 mm. a, Rochinia fultoni (female, NMV J4730). b, Rochinia pulchra (female, NMV J55947). c, Rochinia sibogae (male, NMV J58142). d, Rochinia strangeri (female, NMV J55427).