Munidopsis tasmaniae, Ahyong & Poore, 2004

Ahyong, Shane T. & Poore, Gary C. B., 2004, Deep-water Galatheidae (Crustacea: Decapoda: Anomura) from southern and eastern Australia, Zootaxa 472 (1), pp. 1-76 : 59-62

Munidopsis tasmaniae n. sp. ( Fig. 14 )

Type material. HOLOTYPE: AM P67287, male (15.2 mm), off St. Patricks Head , Tasmania, 41º35’S, 148º14’E, 1100 m, S05/87/15, K. Graham, 12 Jul 1987 . PARATYPES: AM P67288, 1 ovigerous female (17.7 mm), type locality; SAM C6056 , 1 ovigerous female (15.8 mm), 91 km NW of Currie Harbour , 39°43.09’S, 143°00.57’E, 1135 m, 5 Mar 1989 .

Diagnosis. Carapace covered with sparsely setose squamae and tubercles; cervical groove distinct; regions well defined; with pair of broad, blunt, flattened epigastric processes; frontal margin with large, blunt antennal process; lateral margins with four large, blunt anterolaterally directed teeth; posterior margin unarmed. Rostrum trianguloid, slightly longer than one­third remaining carapace length; broad basally, margins convex and serrate; apex blunt; dorsally carinate and sparsely tuberculate. Abdominal tergites unarmed. Sixth tergite with posterior margin not strongly produced. Telson composed of 8 plates. Eyestalk movable, with short, papillate, tubercular process mediodorsally. Pereopods 1–3 (cheliped and first two walking legs) with epipod. Cheliped elongate, twice carapace length; setose and rugose; palm about 2 times as long as high. Walking legs coarsely tuberculate; carpus extensor margin spinose; dactylus with 11–14 small movable spines on flexor margin.

Description. Carapace: Moderately convex from side to side; covered with sparsely setose squamae and tubercles; cervical groove distinct; regions well defined; with pair of broad, blunt, flattened epigastric processes. Frontal margin with large, blunt antennal process. Lateral margins with four large, blunt anterolaterally directed teeth; carapace widest at posteriormost tooth. Posterior margin with low ridge, squamous, unarmed. Rostrum subtriangular, slightly longer than one­third remaining carapace length; broad basally, margins convex and serrate; apex blunt; dorsally carinate and sparsely tuberculate. Pterygostomian flap with squamous surface; anterior margin angular, blunt, acute but not spinous.

Sternum: Third sternite bilobed, separated by notch, about one­third with of sternite 4. Anterior two­thirds of sternite 4 covered with short, finely setose striae. Sternite 5 with several short, finely setose striae anteriorly and laterally. Remaining sternites with several striae laterally. Ridges demarcating fourth to seventh sternites feebly granular.

Abdomen: Tergites with short, fine, scattered setae. Second to fourth tergites unarmed; with elevated ridge followed by transverse groove. Sixth tergite with posterior margin not strongly produced. Telson composed of 8 plates. Uropodal exopod with unarmed outer margins.

Eye: Movable, with short, papillate, tubercular process mediodorsally, non­setose; cornea subglobular, as wide as peduncle; with small blunt tooth between eye and antennal peduncle.

Antennule: Basal segment with distolateral spine, shorter distodorsal spine and small distoventral spine.

Antenna: Basal segment of peduncle with blunt distolateral and distomedial processes. Second segment with blunt distolateral and distomedial tooth. Remaining segment unarmed.

Maxilliped 3: Dactylus and propodus unarmed. Carpus extensor margin with 2 or 3 teeth. Merus extensor margin with 2 teeth intervened by several acute tubercles; flexor margin with 4 teeth, proximal largest.

Epipods: Pereopods 1–3 with epipod. Pereopod 4 without epipod.

Pereopod 1 (cheliped): Elongate, twice carapace length; setose and rugose. Propodus squamose and coarsely tuberculate dorsally; palm about twice as long as high; dorsal margin of palm longer than dactylus. Pollex and dactylus without gape; occlusal margins crenulate; distally ‘hollowed’on internal margin. Carpus and merus with dorsal and ventral spines distally; surfaces squamous and coarsely tuberculate. Ischium with dorsal distal spine; surface tuberculate.

Pereopod 2–4: Sparsely setose, slightly decreasing in length posteriorly. Merus coarsely tuberculate; extensor and flexor margins with flattened distal tooth; trianguloid in cross­section. Carpus with 3 coarsely tuberculate carinae, with distal extensor spine. Propodus coarsely tuberculate; distal flexor margin with paired movable spines; ovate in cross­section. Dactylus with 11–14 small movable spines on flexor margin.

Etymology. Named for the state of Tasmania; a noun in the genitive singular.

Remarks. Munidopsis tasmaniae n. sp. most closely resembles Ms. proales n. sp. in bearing epipods on the first three pereopods and in the general carapace ornamentation in which the lateral and frontal teeth are broad and blunt, the dorsum is covered with squamae, and the paired epigastric processes are flattened and apically blunt. Munidopsis tasmaniae is readily distinguished from Ms. proales in having smaller and much lower squamae on the carapace, and in having more robust chelae. Unfortunately, the rostrum of Ms. proales is unknown.

The carapace ornamentation of both new species resembles Ms. sonne Baba, 1995 in the covering of squamae, blunt lateral and frontal teeth and serrate rostral margins (unknown in Ms. proales ). The two new species are readily distinguished from Ms. sonne by the well­ instead of ill­defined lateral carapace teeth, distinct but blunt epigastric processes, presence of small blunt processes on the eyestalks, and the uni­ instead of multispinose dorsal margin of the basal antennular segment.

Distribution. Known only from southeastern Tasmania at 1100–1135 m depth.

Figures

FIGURE 14. Munidopsis tasmaniae n. sp., holotype male (15.2 mm), AM P67287. A, dorsum. B, right lateral. C, left basal antennular segment, ventral. D, left basal antennular segment, lateral. E, left antennal peduncle, ventral. F, right third maxilliped, lateral. G, left cheliped. H, left cheliped. inner distal. I, right cheliped, outer distal. J, sternum. K–M, pereopods 2–4, right dorsal. N, telson. Scale A, B, G, K–M = 2 mm, C–F, H–J, N = 1 mm.