Automate dolichognatha De Man, 1888

(Fig. 3)

Automate dolichognatha De Man, 1888: 529, pl. 22, Fig. 5 [type locality: Indian Archipelago]; Lanchester, 1901: 564, pl. 34, fig.3; Coutière, 1903: 74, fig. 8; Banner & Banner, 1973: 299 –303, fig. 1.

Automate gardineri— Coutière, 1902: fig. 8; [type locality: Minikoi Atoll]; 1903: 72, figs. 1–7; 1905: 854, fig. 127, 128; Holthuis & Gottlieb, 1958: 17, fig. 6; Miyake & Miya, 1966: 137, fig. 2; Banner & Banner, 1966: 37, fig. 8.

Automate kingsleyi— Hay, 1917: 72 [type locality: Beaufort, North Carolina].

Automate haightae— Boone, 1931: 184, Fig. 22 [type locality: north shore of Tabogilla Island, Pearl Islands, Bay of Panama].

Automate johnsoni— Chace, 1955: 13, Fig. 7 [type locality: Bikini Atoll].

Automate sp. — De Man, 1911: 140, Fig. 2 [type locality: Indonesia].

Material examined. MBM 270027, 2 ovigerous females (CL 4.1mm, TL 13.8mm), Weizhou Island, Beibu Gulf, 12 February 1956 . MBM 157885, 1 ovigerous female (CL 5.2mm, TL 14.1mm), north of Xinying, Hainan, 10 May 1958 .

Description. Carapace glabrous. Frontal region of carapace (Fig. 3 A, B) with moderately shallow orbital concavity on either side rostrum. Rostrum broad, short triangular, tip not reaching to level of antero-lateral margin of carapace, not covering eye-stalls; rostral carina and orbital hoods absent. Eye-stalls exposed dorsally and laterally; cornea developed. Pterygostomian angle (Fig. 3 B) rounded, continuous with branchiostegal; cardiac notch conspicuous.

Antennular peduncle (Fig. 3 A) slender; dorso-mesial margin of first segment with one small, somewhat anteriorly curved spine; second segment much longer than visible part of first segment; stylocerite acute, reaching near distal end of first segment of antennular peduncle. Antenna (Fig. 3 A, B) with basicerite bearing strong ventrolateral tooth; carpocerite slender, distinctly overreaching end of antennular peduncle; scaphocerite oval, reaching to about 2/3 length of second segment of antennular peduncle, lateral margin nearly straight, disto-lateral tooth distinctly beyond anterior margin of blade.

Mandible (Fig. 3 N) with two-segmented palp; incisor process bearing distally 6 blunt, strong, irregular teeth; molar process well developed. Maxillule (Fig. 3 O) with two endites, distal endite with numerous large spine-like setae on mesial margin, basal endite with several spine-like setae on distal margins; palp bilobed, upper and lower lobe both with one robust seta. Maxilla (Fig. 3 P) with slender tapering palp, distally with one robust seta; distal endite deeply bilobed, densely setose medially; proximal endite with single lobe, lanceolate, distally with setae; scaphognathite well developed. First maxilliped (Fig. 3 Q) with two-segmented palp; distal endite with medial margin slightly concave, with densely setae; proximal endite small, with densely setae; exopod with welldeveloped flagellum, distally with long setae. Second maxilliped (Fig. 3 R) with dactylar segment narrow, medial margin with moderately short spiniform setae; propodal segment slightly elongate, rounded distally, distomedial border with long setae; carpus short; coxa with large epipod; exopod with long flagellum, distally with long setae. Third maxilliped (Fig. 3 S) slender; arthrobranch normally developed; coxa with hook-like epipod; exopod short, tip slightly reaching about half-length of antepenultimate segment; antepenultimate segment near as long as ultimate segment, superior margin with several moderately short setae; penultimate segment about 1/3 length of antepenultimate segment; ventral margin of ultimate segment setose; superior margin armed with transverse rows of moderately small, but strong spines, distally with one small, strong spine.

Major cheliped (Fig. 3 C, D) with ischium unarmed; merus more than twice times as long as wide at middle, margin not rugose, unarmed; carpus robust, cup-shaped, slightly elongate; low margin of chela bearing moderately long dense setae about distal 2/3 length, and one shallow contour near base of pollex; inner margin of palm bearing thin setae near base of pollex, palm rectangular, slightly compressed; cutting margin of dactylus armed with about two small teeth at base; tip of pollex strongly curved, cutting margin bearing one moderately large tooth near tip; tips of fingers crossing when closed. Minor cheliped lost.

Second pereiopod (Fig. 3 E) moderately slender; carpus five-segmented, second segment longer than other segments, ratio of segments from proximal to distal approximately equal to 0.7: 1.2: 0.5: 0.3: 0.6. Third pereiopod (Fig. 3 F, G) robust, ischium unarmed; merus about 4 times as long as wide at base, unarmed, carpus distinctly shorter than merus, disto-ventral margin only bearing moderately long setae, without spines; propodus near as long as carpus, ventral margin bearing row of four large spins and distal one pair spines; dactylus about half-length of propodus, slightly curved, bearing several short setae near at tip. Fourth pereiopod (Fig. 3 H, I) similar to third pereiopod, ventral margin of propodus bearing six spines. Fifth pereiopod (Fig. 3 J, K) much slender than third and fourth pereiopod, propodus bearing grooming brush.

Telson (Fig. 3 M) much shorter than uropods, 1.2 times as long as wide at base, dorso-lateral margin bearing two pair of moderately large spines, anterior and posterior pair situated about 0.5 and 0.6 length of telson, respectively; posterior margin only slightly convex, bearing two pairs of spines, with mesial about six times as long as lateral.

Second pleopod (Fig. 3 L) without appendix masculine both sexes. Uropod (Fig. 3 M) with endopod distinctly longer than exopod; exopod with two posterior projections bordering a shallow notch on diaeresis, postero-lateral corner acute, strongly produced, accompanied with rather stout spine near as long as posterior margin of exopod.

Distribution. pantropical, except for eastern Atlantic.

Remarks. Automate dolichognatha De Man, 1888 was the type species of the genus. The present material is definitely identified as A. dolichognatha for the presence of the small, sub-triangular rostrum, not reaching distal end of the anterior margin of the carapace; the reduced scaphocerite not reaching distal end of the second segment of the antennular peduncle; the length-wide ratio of the merus of the first chelipeds; the presence of 4–6 spines on the ventral margin of the propodus of the third and fourth pereiopod.