Thalamita chaptalii ( Audouin, 1826 )

Shaga, I Bevin, Priya, K, Ramar, Selvakumar, Srinidhi, S, Mohan, G Chandra, Ranganathan, Sukanya, Moulvi, S M M & Mani, Bhuvaneswari, 2023, A Small Collection of Subtidal Crabs (Crustacea: Decapoda: Brachyura) from the Palau Islands Collected by Dredging, Bulletin of the National Museum of Nature and Science. Series A, Zoology 49 (1), pp. 7-42 : 19

Thalamita chaptalii ( Audouin, 1826)

( Fig. 7E–F )

Material examined. Off Kuwannon , Koror Is., Palau Is., dredged, with coralline algae; 1 ♂ (cb 12.6×cl 8.2 mm), NSMT-Cr 30970; June 17, 1980, K. Baba leg. ─Entrance of Toagle Mid in Arangel Channel , Babelthuap I., Palau Is., 40 m in depth, mud; 1♂ (8.6×6.0 mm), NSMT-Cr 30971, 1♂ (12.4× 8.4mm), 1 ovig.♀ (11.7× 8.1 mm), NSMT-Cr 30972; June 22, 1980; K. Baba leg. ─ Inside of Gesodokkuru Reef off Arumonogui, Babelthuap I., Palau Is, dredged, ca. 20 m in depth; 1 ovig.♀ (11.1× 7.2mm), NSMT-Cr 30973; July 13, 1980; K. Baba leg.

Remarks. This species was briefly characterized by Wee and Ng (1995), with figures, being most characterized by the weakly arched front divided into two by a small median notch ( Fig. 7E–F ). The carapace dorsal ridges are also simply but clearly shown by Crosnier (1962), with a pair of the frontal, mesogastric, metagastric, epibranchial and mesobranchial ridges, but no cardiac ridge ( Fig. 7E–F ).

Distribution. Indo-West Pacific from the Red Sea and Madagascar to Australia, Tahiti, and the Ryukyu Islands. The occurrence in the Ryukyu Islands is referred to Nagai and Nomura (1988); the definite locality was not recorded, but the identification is acceptable for the photograph in the filed. New to the Palau Islands.

Figures

Fig. 7. A–B: Thalamita quadrilobata Miers, ♀ (NSMT-Cr 30974; cb 10.8×cl 7.4mm). C–D: Thalamonyx gracilipes A. Milne-Edwards, ♂(NSMT-Cr 30976; cb 7.6×cl 5.9mm). E–F: Thalamita chaptalii (Audouin), ♂ (NSMT-Cr 30970; cb 12.6×cl 8.2mm) (E); ♂ (NSMT-Cr 30971; cb 8.6×cl 6.0mm) (F). G: Xiphonectes longispinosus (Dana) sensu Sakai (1939), ♂ (NSMT-Cr 30978; cb 17.6mm including epibranchial tubercles×cl 7.1 mm). H: Thalamita sexlobata Miers, ovig.♀ (NSMT-Cr 30975; cb 9.0×cl 6.3mm).