Jaxea nocturna Nardo, 1847

Ngoc-Ho, Nguyen, 2003, European and Mediterranean Thalassinidea (Crustacea, Decapoda), Zoosystema 25 (3), pp. 439-555 : 501-505

Jaxea nocturna Nardo, 1847

( Figs 22 ; 23 )

Cancer nocturnus Chiereghin, 1818 : sp. 34, fig. 48 (MS name).

Jaxea nocturna Nardo, 1847: 4 ; 1869: 318, pl. 13, fig. 5. — Claus 1884: 302; 1885: 63. — * Brook 1888: 420. — Stebbing 1893: 187. — * Scott 1900: 405; 1902: 481; * 1905: 214. — Norman & Scott 1906: 12. — Bouvier *1914: 194, figs 1-11; 1940: 98, fig. 66. — Selbie 1914: 96, pl. 15, figs 1-8. — * Southern 1915: 95. — * Williamson 1915: 452. — Pesta 1918: 193, fig. 60. — * Boraschi 1921: 6, tabl. 1, figs 8, 10. — * Caroli 1921b: 268, fig. 3; 1924: 153-197, figs 1-29, tabl. 8. — Balss 1926: 26; 1936: 14. — de Man 1928 b: 16. — Miranda y Rivera 1933: 21. — * Tattersall 1938: 625, figs 1-3. — Chace 1939: 526. — Poulsen 1941: 235. — * Gurney 1942: 250, figs 101, 102. — Zariquiey Alvarez 1946: 105, fig. 133; 1968: 226, fig. 94b. — Gottlieb 1953: 441. — * Kurian 1956: 73. — Gordon 1957: 249. — Holthuis & Gotlieb 1958: 55. — *Bourdillon- Casanova 1960: 107. — * Demirhindi 1961: 219, 3 figs, 1 tabl. — O’Céidigh 1962: 163. — Picard 1965: 38. — Wear & Yaldwyn 1966: 4, *21. — Allen 1967: 18, 56, fig. p. 89. — Števčić °1969: 128; °1971: 529; 1979: 281; 1990: 215. — * Seridji 1971: 49. — Lagardère 1973: 84. — Le Loeuff & Intès 1974: 23. — * Thiriot 1976: 349, 367, tabl. 2, fig. 6. — Türkay 1976: 27. — Beaubrun 1979: 74, figs 47, 48. — Monchartmont 1979: 70. — Manning & Števčić 1982: 295. — García Raso 1983: 319. — Riedl 1983: 482, pl. 177, 2 figs. — Pervesler & Dworschak 1985: 33, figs 1-3, pls 1-4, tabls 1-4. — Thessalou-Legaki & Zenetos 1985: 311. — Campbell & Nicholls 1986: 218, 1 fig. — Thessalou-Legaki 1986: 182. — Müller 1986: 117. — Moyse & Smaldon 1990: 520, fig. 10.12 (part). — Dworschak 1992: 228. — ° Koukouras et al. 1992: 223. — Noël 1992: 80. — ° Diez et al. 1994: 47. — Hayward et al. 1995: 432, fig. 8.51 (part). — Nickell & Atkinson 1995: 181, fig. 2A-C, tabl. 2. — * Barnich 1996: 126, figs 6A, 6B, 67. — Falciai & Minervini 1996: 144, 1 fig. — Johns et al. 1997: 127. — Nickell et al. 1998: 741, 752, figs 4, 5. — Astall et al. 1997b: 669, 674, 675, fig. 1, tabls 1-5, pls 2, 4. — Hughes & Atkinson 1997: 640. — Pinn et al. 1998b: 243, fig. 1B; 1999a: 103, figs 1D-G, 4C, 5A-D; 1999b: 1461, fig. 1C, tabls 1-6. — d’Udekem d’Acoz 1999: 154. — Taylor et al. 2000: 265, figs 1, 2, tabls 1-3. — *González-Gordillo et al. 2001: 279. — * Martin 2001: 76, 1 fig. — ° Türkay 2001: 289.

Calliaxis adriatica Heller, 1862: 440 , pl. 3, figs 22-30; 1863: 208, pl. 6, figs 16-18. — Stalio 1877: 109. — Stossich 1880: 207. — Carus 1885: 491. — * Cano 1891: 16, pl. 4. — Scott 1899: 268, pl. 12, figs 18- 20. — * Lo Bianco 1903: 187, 1909: 603. — Graeffe 1902: 69.

Jaxea cf. nocturna (fossils) – Della Cave 1988: 3, pls 1, 2. — Müller 1993: 5, fig. 3C, D.

TYPE MATERIAL. — No longer extant (Carlo Froglia pers. comm.).

MATERIAL EXAMINED. — Great Britain. Firth of Clyde, south Lady Isle, Ayrshire, muddy sand, 40 m, R. B. Pike coll., 30.X.1957, 1 ( NHM 1962.7.5.10).

Ireland. Skibbereen Co, Cork, W. M. Tattersall coll., 2 postlarvae ( NHM 1937.10.27.1-2).

France. English Channel , Grande Vasière, 1 cl. 11.5 mm, tl. 27.5 mm (figured), 1, 1 cl. 10.5 and 11 mm, 1 juv. cl. 7.5 mm ( MNHN Th 222). — Mediterranean, Banyuls, P. Noël coll., VI.1977, 1 cl. 11 mm, tl. 27 mm (figured) ( MNHN Th 1342) ; dredge, A. Guille coll., 13.VIII.1976, 1 cl. 8.5 mm ( MNHN Th 1343) .

Spain. Vandellos, Calypso , stn 1, 74 m, mud, H. Zibrowius coll., 6.VIII.1977, 1 cl. 8.5 mm, poor condition ( MNHN Th 732).

Adriatic. “Cotype”? of Calliaxis adriatica , coll. C. Heller 21163 94.65, Heller don., 1 broken, cl. 18 mm (MNHN Th 208). — Senigallis, 54 m, C. Froglia coll., 25.VIII.1978, 1 cl. 15.5 mm, tl. 40 mm (figured), 2 cl. 13 and 18 mm (MNHN Th 629). — Norman coll., 1 ( NHML 1911.11.8.1054).

DISTRIBUTION. — East Atlantic: SW Scotland ( Allen 1967), Ireland ( Selbie 1914; O’Céidigh 1962), SW England ( Gordon 1957), English Channel, Bay of Biscay, France ( Lagardère 1973), Canyon of Capbreton, France ( Diez et al. 1994); Marseille ( Picard 1965); Banyuls, France; southern Spain (Zariquiez Alvarez 1968; García Raso 1983); atlantic coast of Morocco ( Türkay 1976). East Mediterranean: Adriatic ( Bouvier, 1940; Manning & Števčić 1982; Pervesler & Dworschak 1985; Števčić 1990); Marmara sea ( Müller 1986); Naples ( Lo Bianco 1909), Greek seas (Thessalou-Legaki & Zenetos 1985; Thessalou-Legaki 1986; Koukouras et al. 1992); mediterranean coast of Israel (Holthuis & Gotlieb 1958).

Trachelifer larvae were reported from various areas including those with no adults so far captured: Turkey ( Demirhindi 1961), Plogoff, Brittany, France ( Martin 2001). Some larvae assigned to a species of Jaxea other than J. nocturna were collected in Banyuls, France ( Thiriot 1976), also in the Adriatic ( Kurian 1956).

Jaxea cf. nocturna fossils from the early Pliocene were found in Tuscany, Italy ( Della Cave 1988), others from the Pliocene and Miocene were discovered in Catalonia, NE Spain ( Müller 1993).

DIAGNOSIS

Rostrum ( Fig. 22B ) triangular, pointed anteriorly, slightly longer than wide at base with slight median longitudinal groove; lateral rostral border and antero-lateral border of carapace with spinules; eye small. Linea thalassinica and cervical groove well defined, the two do not cross. Pleura of abdominal somite 1 ( Fig. 22A ) pointed ventrally or with ventral spine; all abdominal pleura with ventral denticles. Telson ( Fig. 22C ) approximately 1.4 times as long as wide, posterior bor- der convex, median longitudinal groove and two pairs of slight longitudinal ridges on dorsal surface, outer bearing spinules.

A1 and A2 peduncle ( Fig. 22B ) with elongate article 3 and 4 respectively; article 3 of A2 with three or four spinules on lateral external border; A2 scale large, with distal spinules. Md ( Fig. 22G ) with two-articulated palp. Mx1 ( Fig. 22E ) with two-articulated endopod. Mx2 ( Fig. 22F ) exopod bearing many long setae. Mxp1 ( Fig. 23A ) with distally spatulate endopod and large epipod. Mxp2 ( Fig. 23B ) epipod with large podobranch. Mxp3 ( Figs 23C, D ) with smaller podobranch and prominent mesial toothed crest on ischium.

P1 ( Fig. 22D ) chelate, equal, greatly developed, nearly as long as body; ischium and merus with spinules on whole lower border, meral upper spinules sometimes present; carpus with small lower distal spine; propodus granulate, fixed finger more than 1.5 times as long as palm; dactylus slightly longer than fixed finger, cutting edge of both with three or four large round teeth proximally, median triangular tooth and small round teeth in distal half.

P2-5 simple ( Fig. 23 E-H), P3-5 dactylus with lower spiniform setae.

Plp1 absent in male, uniramous in female ( Fig. 22H ), with basipod and faintly articulated flagellum. Male and female Plp2-5 ( Fig. 22I ) biramous, with slender exopod and endopod.

Uropod ( Fig. 22C ) with suture on both rami, lateral external border of exopod with spinules.

Trachelifer larvae recently reported in Barnich (1996: fig. 6A, B) and Martin (2001: 76).

Colour

White, pinkish or light brown ( Campbell & Nicholls 1986); pinkish white with yellow or chesnut hairs ( Moyse & Smaldon 1990); pinkish white ( Falciai & Minervini 1996).

Size

Largest specimens in material examined: cl. 15.5- 18 mm, tl. 40-47 mm. Largest size reported: tl. 40-60 mm ( Moyse & Smaldon 1990).

ECOLOGY AND BIOLOGY

The species is rare in the Clyde sea area, living in mud or sandy mud, 18-80 m ( Allen 1967), or in mud near the coast, in Marseille ( Picard 1965). It is common in the Bay of Biscay, 0-100 m, in mud ( Lagardère 1973), in soft mud or sandy mud, 15-100 m in the Adriatic ( Bouvier 1940; Števčić 1990); in mud, at 15 m depth or deeper, in the Ionian sea (Thessalou-Legaki & Zenetos 1985). It is scarce off the west coast of the British Isles, often as fragments in fish stomach ( Moyse & Smaldon 1990) and was collected at 356-420 m depth in Capbreton, France ( Diez et al. 1994). The burrow, spiral shape with a horizontal extension, was studied by Pervesler & Dworschak (1985).

Trachelifer larvae are found in May to September, along the coasts of Ireland ( Selbie 1914), in June- July in Cumbrae, SW of Scotland ( Allen 1967), in March-October in Naples, Italy ( Lo Bianco 1909), in May-June in Marseille, France (Bourdillon-Casanova 1960).

Aspects of biology studied

Burrow morphology and feeding behaviour ( Nickell & Atkinson 1995); sulphide metabolism ( Johns et al. 1997); branchial morphology, gill area and gill utlrastructure ( Astall et al. 1997b); particle size selectivity and resource partitioning ( Pinn et al. 1998b); morphology of mouthparts and pereopods in relation to feeding, ecology and grooming ( Nickell et al. 1998); gut morphology and gut microflora ( Pinn et al. 1999a); mouthpart morphology and mouthpart setal fringes ( Pinn et al. 1999b); oxygen transporting properties of heamocyanin ( Taylor et al. 2000).

Figures

FIG. 22. — Jaxea nocturna Nardo, 1847; A, H, from Banyuls, France (MNHN Th 1342); B-D, I, from Adriatic (MNHN Th 629); E-G, from Grande Vasière, France (MNHN Th 222); A, lateral view, pereopod 1 omitted; B, anterior part of carapace; C, telson and uropods; D, pereopod 1; E, F, maxillule and maxilla; G, mandible; H, female pleopod 1; I, male pleopod 2. Scale bars: A-D, I, 1 mm; E-H, 0.5 mm.

FIG. 23 — Jaxea nocturna Nardo, 1847; A-D, from Grande Vasière, France (MNHN Th 222); A, B, maxilliped 1 and maxilliped 2; C, D, maxilliped 3 and mesial crest on ischium; E-H, from Adriatic (MNHN Th 629), pereopod 2-5. Scale bars: A-D, 0.5 mm; E-H, 1 mm.