Omalacantha Streets, 1871

In, First Published, 2022, Brachyuran crabs (Crustacea, Decapoda) from the remote oceanic Archipelago Trindade and Martin Vaz, South Atlantic Ocean, Zootaxa 5146, pp. 1-129 : 42

Genus Omalacantha Streets, 1871

Type species. Omalacantha hirsuta Streets, 1871 . [Type locality: Isthmus of Panama] .

Remarks. The resurrection of the genus Omalacantha from the synonymy of Microphrys was underpinned by molecular data combined with less obvious morphological support ( Windsor & Felder 2014). Clearly, the morphological differences between the two genera need to be more intensively investigated.

Omalacantha as understood by Windsor & Felder (2014) consists of four species, namely: O. antillensis ( Rathbun, 1920) [ Microphrys ], type locality: off Montego Bay Point, Jamaica; O. bicornuta ( Latreille, 1825) [ Pisa ], type locality: “Nouvelle Hollande ”– could be either Dutch Guiana, Saba, Saint Eustace, St. Martin’s or Tobago, at that time under Dutch control ( Boone 1930a: 111); O. garthi ( Lemos de Castro, 1953) [ Eucinetops ], type locality: Barra de Guaratiba, state of Rio de Janeiro; and O. interrupta (Rathbum, 1920) [ Microphrys ].

The species in Omalacantha are in need of a thorough taxonomic review, including better descriptions and illustrations.