Raoulia piroculata ( Rathbun, 1911 )

Ng, Peter K. L. & Rahayu, Dwi Listyo, 2014, Revision of the family Acidopsidae Števčić, 2005, and the systematic position of Typhlocarcinodes Alcock, 1900, Caecopilumnus Borradaile, 1902, and Raoulia Ng, 1987, with descriptions of two new genera and five new species (Crustacea: Brachyura: Goneplacoidea), Zootaxa 3773 (1), pp. 1-63 : 30-31

publication ID	https://doi.org/ 10.11646/zootaxa.3773.1.1
publication LSID	lsid:zoobank.org:pub:19F28753-B2D0-4D1F-9D47-88886F7333FD
DOI	https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.4909770
persistent identifier	https://treatment.plazi.org/id/03E287AE-5458-E225-8A9D-410EFBBE0EBA
treatment provided by	Felipe
scientific name	Raoulia piroculata ( Rathbun, 1911 )
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Raoulia piroculata ( Rathbun, 1911)

( Figs. 4A, B View FIGURE 4 , 5D View FIGURE 5 , 17 View FIGURE 17 , 19A–E View FIGURE 19 )

Typhlocarcinops piroculata Rathbun, 1911: 239 , pl. 20 figs. 1, 2.

Typhlocarcinodes piroculatus — Barnard 1955: 35, fig. 16.— Serène 1968: 92 (part).

Caecopilumnus piroculatus — Ng 1987: 93.— Ng et al. 2008: 143.

Material examined. Lectotype female (here designated) (7.3 × 5.5 mm) ( USNM 41359 About USNM a), Amirante Is., Indian Ocean, station E9, 34 fms (62.2 m), coll. J.S. Gardiner, H.M.S. Sealark, 9 October 1905 . Paralectotype female (5.9 × 4.5 mm) ( USNM 41359 About USNM b), same data as lectotype .

Diagnosis. Carapace width 1.3 times length ( Fig. 17A View FIGURE 17 ). Junction between frontal, supraorbital margins appears gently curved in frontal view ( Fig. 17C View FIGURE 17 ). Third maxilliped merus about 0.7 length of ischium; ischium rectangular, 1.3 times as long as broad ( Fig. 5D View FIGURE 5 ). Ambulatory legs relatively longer; merus of last ambulatory leg about 3.1 times as long as broad ( Fig. 17A View FIGURE 17 ). Male unknown.

Remarks. Raoulia limosa and R. piroculata closely resemble each other. Raoulia piroculata , however, can easily be separated from R. limosa by its longer pereopods ( Fig. 17A View FIGURE 17 ; Figs. 13A View FIGURE 13 , 14A View FIGURE 14 , 15A View FIGURE 15 for R. limosa ), having proportionately the longest ambulatory legs in the genus. In addition, R. piroculata has a relatively longer ischium of the third maxilliped ( Fig. 5D View FIGURE 5 ; Figs. 5C View FIGURE 5 , 16B View FIGURE 16 for R. limosa ); and the junction of the frontal and supraorbital margin is gently curved ( Fig. 17C View FIGURE 17 ) rather than at right angles in frontal view ( Figs. 13D View FIGURE 13 , 14C View FIGURE 14 for R. limosa ).

Barnard (1955: 35, fig. 16) described a male (11.0 × 8.5 mm) and a female (9.0 × 7.0 mm) from Delagoa Bay in South Africa. His figures (present Fig 19A–E View FIGURE 19 ) leave no doubt this is also a species of Raoulia . Ng (1987) provisionally referred this record to R. limosa , but this is doubtful in view of the present revision of the genus. In terms of its distribution (western Indian Ocean), these specimens are more likely to be the real R. piroculata . The carapace width to length proportions of Barnard’s two specimens is about 1.3, the same to that observed for R. piroculata s. str. but the conditions of the diagnostic third maxillipeds and ambulatory legs are not known. The G1 figured by Barnard (see Fig. 19D, E View FIGURE 19 ) seems to have the distal slender part relatively longer than the other congeners now recognised (notably R. limosa and R. galea sp. nov.).

Colour. Not known.

Distribution. Amirante Island and South Africa, western Indian Ocean; 62 m.