Soliella flava ( Rathbun, 1894 )

Padate, Vinay P., Periasamy, Rengaiyan, Rivonker, Chandrashekher U. & Ingole, Baban S., 2023, Coral reef-associated brachyuran fauna (Crustacea: Decapoda: Brachyura) from Angria Bank off the west coast of India, Zootaxa 5357 (3), pp. 398-422 : 411-412

Soliella flava ( Rathbun, 1894)

( Fig. 6A–F )

Pilodius flavus Rathbun 1894: 239 (type locality: Eastern Pacific Ocean off the Sandwich Islands, 21°14’51”N, 157°43’39”W, Albatross stn. 3469, 14 fathoms (= 26 m) depth, sand, coral.— Rathbun 1906: 860, fig. 21.— Edmondson 1925: 43.— Balss 1938: 57.— Miyake 1939: 215.— Clark & Galil 1993: 1130, figs. 4A–G, 32B, 40D, 41A.

Chlorodopsis flava .— Serène & Luom 1959: 330, figs. 2C, 5F, pl. IB, IIIB.

Pilodius pubescens . —De Man 1902: 619 [Not Pilodius pubescens Dana, 1852 ].

? Pilodius pubescens .— Nobili 1907: 395 [Not Pilodius pubescens Dana, 1852 ].

Chlorodopsis melanodactylus .— Miers 1884: 531 (part).

Chlorodopsis pilumnoides .— Laurie 1906: 406 [Not C. pilumnoides White, 1848 ].

Chlorodopsis hawaiiensis Edmondson, 1962: 273 , fig. 21a–e (type locality: Pokai Bay, Oahu, Hawaii).

Soliella flava . — Lasley et al. 2015: 168, 174.

Material examined. 2 males (2.8 × 1.8 mm, 5.6 × 3.6 mm), 2 females (3.3 × 2.1 mm, 3.7 × 2.4 mm) ( NIO /BOD/ AB/BRY/00004), RVSS 4 , west of Vijaydurg , Arabian Sea, 16.51°N, 72.17°E, 28 m depth, Van Veen grab, coll. R. Periasamy, 6 January 2014 .

Diagnosis. Carapace depressed, transversely oval, regions well defined (region 2M partly divided into two longitudinally), covered with long setae; carapace regions 1L, 3L and 4L areolated, bearing 1 spine each; region 2M partly divided longitudinally; frontal width> 0.34 × CW; frontal margin divided into 2 large submedian lobes and 2 small lateral lobes; anterolateral margins shorter than markedly convergent posterolateral margins, divided into 4 teeth, first tooth short, second and third teeth claw-like, with ancillary spines, fourth tooth claw-like ( Fig. 6A ). Basal antennal article well developed, entering orbital hiatus and excluding antennal flagellum from orbit. Endostomial ridges restricted to posterior region of buccal cavity. Maxilliped 3 merus with inner distal angle distinctly concave ( Fig. 6B ). Chelipeds unequal, massive; fingers spoon-tipped ( Fig. 6A–C ). P2–5 covered with long setae, with spinulate or tuberculate dorsal surfaces; dactylo-propodal articulation well defined, dactylus tip cornute; upper margins of merus, carpus and propodus with long slender spines ( Fig. 6D ). Male telson sub-triangular ( Fig. 6E ). G1 gradually curved, distal edge serrated ( Fig. 6F ).

Colouration. Preserved specimen: Carapace, chelipeds and pereopods light brown, bearing yellow setae ( Fig. 6A, B ); cheliped fingers chocolate brown ( Fig. 6C ).

Biology. The present specimens were collected from coralline sand at 28 m depth in the vicinity of macroalgae. Known to inhabit coral reefs over sandy substratum down to 91 m ( Edmondson 1925).

Remarks. Soliella flava was originally described from an immature female from the Hawaiian Islands ( Rathbun 1894). Rathbun (1906) provided a short description supplemented with line illustrations of dorsal habitus and chela. Edmondson (1962) described “ Chlorodopsis hawaiiensis ” from Hawaii and indicated its distinctness as compared to other congeners. He also reported P. flavus and commented on the similarities between the genera Chlorodopsis and Pilodius . Serène’s (1984) monograph included this species in the identification key to the species of the genus Pilodius . Clark & Galil (1993) revised the genus Pilodius , wherein they provided a short diagnosis of P. flavus supplemented with line illustrations of carapace frontal margin, anterolateral margin, P5 dactylus and propodus, and gonopods, and photographs of dorsal habitus and chela. The Indian specimens conform to the descriptions of the holotype ( Rathbun 1894), the Hawaiian specimens ( Rathbun 1906) in the morphology and regions on the dorsal of the carapace, and the ornamentation on the chelipeds and pereopods, as well as the illustrations of the carapace margins and the G1 provided by Clark & Galil (1993).

Lasley et al. (2015) transferred P. flavus to Soliella Lasley, Klaus & Ng, 2015 owing to the presence of arched frontal submedian lobes separated by narrow U-shaped notch (vs. frontal lobes separated by a deep notch in Pilodius Dana, 1851 ), yellow setae on the carapace (vs. dark setae in Pilodius ), disto-lateral extension of the basal antennal article reaching only halfway into the orbital hiatus (vs. an elongated distolateral extension completely blocking or extending more than halfway into orbital hiatus in Pilodius ), and a tubular or spatulate G1 tip bearing numerous subdistal stout, proximally directed setae (vs. spatulate, truncate, tubular, curved or hooked G1 tip in Pilodius ).

Geographical distribution. Scattered localities across the Indian Ocean (Etoile Island and Sri Lanka) and Pacific Ocean (Macclesfield Bank in the South China Sea, Ternate Island in the Moluccas, Sulu Archipelago, Philippines, Arafura Sea, Australia, New Caledonia, Micronesia, Polynesia, Marshall Islands and Hawaii) regions ( Miers 1884; Nobili 1907; Miyake 1939; Clark & Galil 1993); eastern Arabian Sea off India (present study). The present observation is the first record from Indian waters.

Figures

FIGURE 6. Soliella flava (Rathbun, 1894), male (NIO/BOD/AB/BRY/00004, 2.8 × 1.8 mm), eastern Arabian Sea, India: (A) dorsal habitus (preserved colour); (B) ventral habitus (preserved colour); (C) left cheliped fingers (disto-external view); (D) right P2 dactylar articulation, dorsal view; (E) male pleon, ventral view; (F) G1, pleonal view. Liomera monticulosa (A. Milne Edwards, 1873), male (NIO/BOD/AB/BRY/00005, 2.2 × 1.2 mm), eastern Arabian Sea, India: (G) dorsal habitus (preserved specimen); (H) ventral habitus (preserved specimen); (I) left cheliped, dorsal view. Scale bars: A–E, G–I, 1 mm; C–D, 0.5 mm; F, 0.1 mm.