Paragiopagurus, LEMAITRE, 1996

Martin, Joel W. & Haney, Todd A., 2005, Decapod crustaceans from hydrothermal vents and cold seeps: a review through 2005, Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 145 (4), pp. 445-522 : 486

GENUS PARAGIOPAGURUS LEMAITRE, 1996 PARAGIOPAGURUS VENTILATUS LEMAITRE, 2004

Type locality: North-eastern coast of Taiwan, Tashi fishing grounds, sta. CP 113; 24°50.8′N, 121°59.9′E; 281 m.

Known range: limited to the type locality.

Material: A total of eight specimens are known, from depths of 128–281 m, all collected by beam trawl (‘chalut à perches’, explaining the abbreviation CP), as follows: type locality, sta. NTOU A00438 (holotype male). –same data, MNHN-Pg 6736 [2 paratype males, 1 paratype female (ovigerous)]. –same data, USNM 1068936 (1 male, 2 ovigerous female paratypes). –same data; NTOU A00439 [6 paratype males, 1 paratype female (ovigerous)]. − 24°50.5′N, 121°59.9′E; 205 m; sta. CP 81; MNHN-Pg 6735 (paratype male). − 24°51.0′N, 121°51.3′E; 128–250 m; sta. CP 114; MNHN-Pg 6737 (1 paratype male) .

Remarks: Lemaitre’s (2004) report is the first description of a hermit crab from any hydrothermal vent system (though some were seen earlier; see above), which is somewhat surprising in light of the ubiquity of hermits in so many marine environments. The Tashi fishing grounds off the north-eastern coast of Taiwan and their hydrothermal vents were the subject of a joint expedition by Taiwanese and French scientists. Lemaitre (2004) cites a paper in press by Richer de Forges et al., which we have not seen, for a full description of the expedition and all station data. Lemaitre uses the term ‘bacteriophore setae’, coined originally by Segonzac et al. (1993:50) in their discussion of the shrimp Rimicaris exoculata , to describe the ‘specialized plumose setae that facilitate the growth of bacterial strands’ in this species.