CYCLODORIPPIDAE Ortmann, 1892

Guinot, Danièle & Quenette, Gwenaël, 2005, The spermatheca in podotreme crabs (Crustacea, Decapoda, Brachyura, Podotremata) and its phylogenetic implications, Zoosystema 27 (2), pp. 267-342 : 309

Family CYCLODORIPPIDAE Ortmann, 1892

In contrast to the preceding families, there is a wide thoracic sternum, with the last sternites (at least sternite 8) more or less abruptly tilted. A deep but small and posterior sterno-abdominal cavity is present. As in the other Podotremata , the thoracic sternal sutures are generally incomplete, diversely interrupted and only lateral; suture 4/5 even seems to be absent, as in the genus Corycodus A. Milne-Edwards, 1880 ( C. bouvieri Ihle, 1916 and C. merweae Tavares, 1993 in Tavares 1993: figs 7c, 8c; C. bullatus A. Milne- Edwards, 1880 in Tavares 1993: fig. 6b; 1996: fig. 10B).

Suture 6/7 is complete in the female Cyclodorippinae : in Cyclodorippe A. Milne-Edwards, 1880 ( Cyclodorippe antennaria A. Milne-Edwards, 1880 , in Tavares 1991a: fig. 5B) and in Tymolus Stimpson, 1858 , at least in T. brucei Tavares, 1991 ( Tavares 1991b: 451) ; for T. japonicus Stimpson, 1858 ( Tavares 1991a: fig. 5A) a verification is needed. In Clythrocerus A. Milne- Edwards & Bouvier, 1899 suture 6/7 is long and probably complete, and in Deilocerus Tavares, 1993 as well (M. Tavares pers. comm.). Suture 6/7 was figured incomplete in Corycodus ( C. bullatus in Tavares 1996: fig. 10B; C. decorus Tavares, 1993 in Tavares 1993: 280, fig. 9b) and Neocorycodus Tavares, 1993 , as in N. stimpsoni ( Rathbun, 1937) ( Fig. 28 ), but a new examination is necessary. Among the Xeinostomatinae Tavares, 1992 , suture 6/7 is complete in Ketamia Tavares, 1992 ( K. depressa (Ihle, 1916) in Tavares 1993: fig. 16c; K. limatula Tavares, 1993 in Tavares 1993: fig. 18c) and in Krangalangia Tavares, 1992 , as in K. spinosa (Zarenkow, 1970) ( Fig. 23C ) and K. orstom Tavares, 1993 ( Tavares 1994: fig 37B). The suture 6/7 is complete in the Cymonomidae Bouvier, 1897 .

It is possible that the suture 6/7 is complete in all the Cyclodorippoidea (perhaps only very few exceptions).

In females, either sutures 4/5-7/8 or 5/6-7/8 may be situated in the tilted posterior part of the sternum, as in the cyclodorippine Corycodus bullatus , C. bouvieri and C. merweae (Tavares 1993: figs 6b, 7c, 8c), or all sternal sutures project forward and are pushed on the lateral sides of the sternal plate, as in the cyclodorippine Neocorycodus stimpsoni ( Rathbun, 1937) ( Tavares 1994: fig. 22D; 1996: fig. 23D) ( Fig. 28 ).

There are paired spermathecae, formed by the forwardly carried and anteriorly modified sutures 7/8. Sutures 7/8, which end apart or together, extend variously forward and thus the apertures are more or less far from the female gonopores on the P3 coxae. In the cyclodorippine Neocorycodus stimpsoni sutures 7/8 project so much forward that they reach the anterior part of the sternal plate; they end closely together but are not contiguous. The apertures show as narrow oblique slits beneath a characteristic unpaired bump ( Tavares 1996: 286, fig. 23D) ( Fig. 28 ).

The axial skeleton is figured herein for the first time. Connections are made by fusion, endopleurites are located only on the sides, there is a transverse bridge that is markedly narrow ( Tymolus , Fig. 23B ) or wider ( Krangalangia ), and the intertagmal phragma is very reduced.

Figures

FIG. 28. — Neocorycodus stimpsoni (Rathbun, 1937) (Cyclodorippidae, Cyclodorippinae), ovigerous female 3.5 × 5 mm, holotype, thoracic sternum, with all sutures extended anteriorly and spermathecal slits at level of P1 coxae (redrawn from Tavares 1994:fig. 22D;1996: fig. 23D). Abbreviations:b, unpaired bump; cx3, P3 coxa; g, female gonopore; sl, slit; 4-8, sternites 4-8; 4/5-7/8, thoracic sternal sutures 4/5 to 7/8. Notice that the suture 6/7 is perhaps longer and even complete.

FIG. 23. — A, B, Tymolus daviei Tavares,1997 (Cyclodorippidae, Cyclodorippinae),female 8 × 8 mm,paratype,Vanuatu (MNHN-B 28946); C, Krangalangia spinosa (Zarenkow, 1970) (Cyclodorippidae, Xeinostomatinae), female 7.1 × 6.5 mm, New Caledonia (MNHN); A, C, thoracic sternum; B, thoracic axial skeleton. Abbreviations: a, spermathecal aperture; br, transverse bridge; cx1-cx4, P1-P3 coxae; g, female gonopore; l.m., median line; s, spermatheca; 4-8, thoracic sternites 4-8; 4/5-7/8, sternal sutures 4/5 to 7/8. Scale bars: A, 2 mm; B, 10 mm; C, 1 mm.