Fabia felderi Gore, 1986

Campos, Ernesto, 2013, Remarks on the sexual dimorphism and taxonomy of Fabia Dana, 1851 (Crustacea, Brachyura, Pinnotheridae), Zootaxa 3616 (2), pp. 190-200 : 197

Fabia felderi Gore, 1986

( Figs. 5 A–E)

Fabia felderi Gore, 1986: 143 –148, figs. 1A–G.—Campos 1996: 1159 (discussion).—Ng et al. 2008: 249 (list).

Material examined. 13, holotype, USNM 228615, Sebastian Pinnacles, off Sebastian Inlet, Indian River County, 27°50.2’N, 78°58.0’W, Florida. U.S.A., 28 April 1981, Research Submersible Johnson Sea Link 1, R/V Johnson cruise 121, dive 1023, 80 m, within Oculina rubble.

Distribution. Known only from the type locality, Sebastian Pinnacles, off Sebastian Inlet, Indian River County, 27°50.2’N, 78°58.0’W, Florida, U.S. A

Measurements. Carapace length 2.2 mm, carapace width 1.9 mm, front-orbital width 1.08 mm.

Diagnosis (modified from Gore 1986: 143) Carapace longer than broad, smooth, subpentagonal, front noticeably produced, margin broadly truncate, oblique, with heavy fringe of anteriorly-directed setae extending backwards along anterolateral margin. MXP3 with ischium-merus indistinguishably fused, merus truncated; carpus longer than wide; propodus longer than carpus, subtrapezoidal, outer surface lacking transverse ridge as described and figured in original account, dactylus small, shorter than propodus, digitiform, inserted in angular notch in middle third of ventral margin of propodus, falling short of end of propodus. P2-P5 symmetrical, margins dorsally, ventrally hirsute, surface of merus, carpus, propodus of P3-P4 with additional long swimming setae. Abdomen with somites 2, 3, 6–telson fused, clear suture present between somite 6, telson.

Remarks. Gore (1986) was precise in his generic assignment of Fabia felderi , although his description and illustration of the third maxilliped and abdomen of his very small specimen was incorrect. The original description of some characters was for this reason inconsistent with the male diagnosis of Fabia provided by Campos (1996) and Campos & Manning (1998), particularly in the supposed structures of the third maxilliped and abdomen. A reexamination of the holotype male confirms that F. f e l d e r i agrees with our current understanding of Fabia . Fabia felderi is actually morphologically close to F. emiliai and might be the northern counterpart of this South Atlantic species, but differing in the fusion of the abdominal somites and shape of the first gonopods. In F. felderi , male abdominal somites 2, 3 and somite 6–telson are fused, instead of only somite 6-telson fused as in F. emiliai ( Fig. 2 B, 4C) and the first gonopods are relatively less curved in F. felderi ( Fig. 2 C, 4E). The female of F. felderi is still unknown.

Figures

FIGURE 2. Fabia hemphilli (Rathbun, 1918) new combination, Cedar Keys, Florida, U. S. A., holotype (USNM 6420), caparace length 2.3 mm, width = 3 mm. A, dorsal view; B. ventral view, sterna details omitted; C, abdomen; D, third maxilliped, outer view.

FIGURE 5. Fabia felderi Gore, 1986, from Sebastian Pinnacles, Florida. U. S. A holotype, (USNM 228615), adult male. A, dorsal view; B, frontal view; C, abdomen; D, third maxilliped; E, left first gonopod. A, B, E from Gore (1986); scale bars, A = 1 mm, B = 0.5 mm; C – E = 0.25 mm.