Neocallichirus vigilax (De Man, 1916 )

Poore, Gary C. B., 2023, New records and one new species of Callichiridae (Crustacea, Axiidea) from the Indo-West Pacific, with keys to species of Corallianassa, Lepidophthalmus and Neocallichirus, Memoirs of Museum Victoria (Mem. Mus. Vic.) 82, pp. 71-95 : 91

Neocallichirus vigilax (De Man, 1916)

Callianassa (Callichirus) vigilax De Man, 1916: 57 , pl. 1 figs 1–6.

Neocallichirus denticulatus Ngoc-Ho, 1994: 56, fig. 4.

Neocallichirus vigilax .— Sakai, 1999: 108.— Sakai, 2011: 464– 465.— Dworschak, 2011a: 138–148, figs 1–79 (redescription, complete synonymy).— Dworschak, 2018: 25. — Poore et al., 2019: 141, 145, fig. 15j.— Robles et al., 2020: figs 1, 4, 7.

Material examined. Neocallichirus denticulatus . Australia. Qld , NE of Townsville, 18° 56' S, 146° 50' E, 24 m, NMV J22658 (holotype female, 6.7 mm), MNHN Th1246 (paratype female, 5.5 mm) .

Neocallichirus vigilax . Saudi Arabia. Al Lith, 20.167155° N, 40.223307° E, UF 37165 (female, 12 mm); Farasan Banks, Marca I., 18.22055° N, 41.32438° E, UF 36640 (female, 12 mm); Thuwal , 22.29213° N, 39.09° E, UF 37092 (female, 7 mm) . USA, Mariana Is, Guam, W coast, near Fish Eye Marine Park, UF 27327 (male); S coast, near Aga Point, UF 29710 (male) . Papua New Guinea. Madang Province. Riwo , 05° 09' S, 145° 48.2' E, 1–2 m (stn PR235), MNHN IU-2013-7072 * (male, 7.4 mm); MNHN IU-2013-7043 (female, 7.2 mm); (stn PR195), MNHN IU-2013-7105 * (male, 5.2 mm) . Madang lagoon, 05° 10.2' S, 145° 50.4' E, 1–3 m (stn PR243), ( MNHN IU-2013-7129 * (male, 3.7 mm) . New Ireland. NW corner of Little Nusa I., seagrass and sand, 0–1 m, 02° 34.9' S, 150° 46.8' E (stn KM13 ) MNHN IU-2014- 10002 * (female, 12.3 mm); (stn KM11 ) MNHN IU-2014-2553 * (female, 13.0 mm); MNHN IU-2014-10004 (male, 6.7 mm); MNHN IU-2014- 10009 (male, 7.2 mm) . French Polynesia. Moorea, Haapiti, mangrove area, 17.55668° S, 149.8744° E, UF 15483 (juv., 4 mm), UF 15732 (male, 10.5 mm), Motu Tiahura 17.4891° S, 149.9121° E, UF 16478 (male, 3.3 mm); near Haapiti 17.55475° S, 149.87899° E, UF 29240 (female, 10.9 mm); Papetoai , 17.4911° S, 149.8844° E, UF 16281 (female, 9.5 mm), UF 16284 (female, 11 mm), UF 16293 (male, 5.5 mm), UF 23990 (female, 9.5 mm); between Papetoai and hotel, 17.4908° S, 149.8871° E, UF 16536 (male, 7 mm) . Australia. Qld, Lizard I., Casuarina Beach, sand flat, 1 m, UF 17515 (male, 8 mm) . Qld, Heron I., 23° 27' S, 151° 55' E, reef flat, NMV J40124 * (female); reef flat at Shark Bay , 23.45° S, 151.92° E, NMV J40125 (female, 13 mm, fixed in ethanol) . Qld, Rib reef, shallow lagoon, 4 m, 18.47° S, 146.87° E, NMV J74247 (12 specimens), NMV J74248 (5 males and females, 6.8–14.0 mm) . Qld, Myrmidon Reef , shallow lagoon, 8 m, 18.27° S, 147.38° E, NMV J74245 (ovigerous female, 12.3 mm), NMV J74246 (12) .

Diagnosis. Carapace anterolateral lobe acute, prominent. Antenna peduncle exceeding antennule peduncle by half of article 5. Eyestalk distal lobes triangular, rounded, diverging, or truncate, with rounded distal margin, sometimes with dorsal ridge. Major cheliped merus lower margin with narrow straight dentate blade over proximal three-quarters; palm tuberculate on lateral and distal mesial faces in larger individuals; gape simple; fixed finger cutting edge smooth; dactylus cutting edge obscurely tuberculate, with notch near midpoint. Uropodal endopod posterior margin decidedly oblique, angle with anterior margin about 40°. Telson tapering from base to continuous rounded posterolateral margin. Maximum cl. 24.4 mm.

Distribution. Western, Central and Eastern Indo-Pacific ( Saudi Arabia, NE Australia, Indonesia [type locality: Ambon], Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Mariana Is, French Polynesia); shallow sand flats.

Remarks. The larger specimens agree well with the redescription of this species by Dworschak (2011a). It is notable for the slightly upturned anterolateral carapace spines and the concave anterior margin of the uropodal exopod. In the molecular phylogram based on nuclear and mitochondrial genes ( Robles et al., 2020: fig. 4) eight individuals fell into three subclades: two from Madang, Papua New Guinea; two others also from Madang with a third from the Philippines; and two from Nusa I., Papua New Guinea, with a third from Queensland. Clades 2 and 3 are sister clades. No consistent morphological differences could be found between them, supporting the synonymy of C. denticulatus with C. vigilax .