Gourretia sinica Liu & Liu, 2010

Dworschak, Peter C. & Anker, Arthur, 2022, Axiidea (Crustacea: Callianassidae, Callichiridae and Ctenochelidae) and Gebiidea (Upogebiidae) collected during the Comprehensive Marine Biodiversity Survey of Singapore, Raffles Bulletin of Zoology 70, pp. 108-133 : 110

Gourretia sinica Liu & Liu, 2010

( Figs. 1a , 3–5)

Gourretia sinica Liu & Liu, 2010a: 750 , figs. 5–10; — Poore et al., 2019: table 1; — Robles et al., 2020: suppl. tables 1, 2. Paragourretia zarenkovi Sakai, 2010a: 1457 , fig. 8; new synonym. Ruiyuliugourretia sinica . — Sakai, 2017: 1132, 1133, fig. 3. G.[ourretia] zarenkovi . — Sakai, 2017: 1129.

CMBS material. 1 female (23/5.3) ( ZRC 2017.0947 ) [DNA voucher GenBank MN 237905 , MN 237707 , MN 238386 , MN 238112 ], sta. TB096, Straits of Singapore near E Bunkering A, 1°18.140′N 104°04.221′E, clay, beam trawl, 22.4–25.1 m, coll. B Richer de Forges et al., 29 May 2013 (SS-3222); 1 female (18/4.5) ( ZRC 2018.0560 ), sta. TB120, Straits of Singapore, NE of Sentosa Cove, MPA grid 5115, beam trawl, 7.2–18.0 m, coll . TMSI team, 21 March 2013 (5115TB1-120) .

Description. See Liu & Liu (2010a).

Distribution. Beibu Gulf, South China Sea (type locality, Liu & Liu, 2010a), Tonkin Gulf, Vietnam ( Sakai, 2010a), Singapore (this study).

Habitat. Muddy sand at depth of 27–50 m (Liu & Liu, 2010a); clay at depth of 7–25 m (this study).

Remarks. Four Indo-Pacific species of Gourretia possess a strong curved spine or projection on the ventro-proximal surface of the third maxilliped ischium, viz. G. manihinae Sakai, 1984b , G. sinica Liu & Liu, 2010a , G. zarenkovi ( Sakai, 2010a) and G. qeshmensis Sepahvand, Pouyani & Momtazi, 2016 . This character was variable in the present material, with one female (ZRC 2017.0947) bearing this spine on only one side (Fig. 3a, b). The second female (ZRC 2018.0560) lacks one of the third maxillipeds, but the attached one does have this spine, suggesting that it may be the more typical condition in the species. The CMBS material is tentatively assigned to G. sinica because of the strong spines on the cutting edges of the second pereopod (Figs. 4g, 5e) (lacking in G. manihinae ). However, it differs from both G. manihinae and G. sinica by the presence of a setal row on the anterior carapace (Fig. 3a) and a spiniform seta on the propodus of the third pereopod (Fig. 3g). The species is recorded from Singapore for the first time.

There is apparently no difference between G. sinica and G. zarenkovi except for the male first pleopod, consisting of 2 or 4 articles in the former taxon, according to Liu & Liu (2010a) and Sakai (2017), respectively, vs. 3 articles in the latter taxon ( Sakai, 2010a). A male first pleopod consisting of 3 or 4 articles is certainly an artefact as K. Sakai often misinterpreted folds as articulations (see Felder & Dworschak, 2015; Poore & Dworschak, 2017). Since G. sinica has priority by two months (14 October 2010 vs. 13 December 2010), G. zarenkovi is herein synonymised with the former taxon.

Figures

Fig. 1. Specimens, habitus (dorsal and/or ventral views), showing colouration in life: a, Gourretia sinica Liu & Liu, 2010, female (23/5.3) (ZRC 2017.0947); b, Karumballichirus karumba (Poore & Griffin, 1979), female (32/7.6) (ZRC 2018.0526); c, Aqaballianassa brevirostris Sakai, 2002, ovigerous female (28/5.6) (ZRC 2017.0948); d, Upogebia singaporensis, new species, female holotype (16/5.4) (ZRC 2017.0951); e, f, Neogebicula johorensis, new species, male holotype (18/5.6) (ZRC 2017.0956); g, h, same, ovigerous female paratype (21/6.3) (ZRC 2017.0955); i, j, Wolffogebia phuketensis Sakai, 1982, male (37/10.3) (NHMW 26036). Not to scale. [Photographs by AA].