Ethusa parapygmaea Chen, 1993

Castro, Peter, 2005, Crabs of the subfamily Ethusinae Guinot, 1977 (Crustacea, Decapoda, Brachyura, Dorippidae) of the Indo-West Pacific region, Zoosystema 27 (3), pp. 499-600 : 540-541

Ethusa parapygmaea Chen, 1993

Ethusa parapygmaea Chen, 1993: 318 (key), 332, fig. 12.

TYPE MATERIAL. — Holotype: cl 5. 9 mm, cw 5.5 mm, CHALCAL 2, stn DW 73 ( MNHN-B 19092 ).

TYPE LOCALITY. — New Caledonia, Norfolk Ridge, 24°39.9’S, 168°38.1’E, 573 m.

MATERIAL EXAMINED. — New Caledonia. CHALCAL 2, stn DW 73, 24°39.9’S, 168°38.1’E, 573 m, 29.X.1986, holotype ( MNHN-B 19092).

NORFOLK 1, stn 1699, 24°40’S, 168°40’E, 581- 600 m, 24.VI.2001, 1 ( MNHN-B 28555).

DISTRIBUTION. — Known only from New Caledonia. Depth: 573-600 m ( Fig. 34 ).

SIZE. — Maximum size: cl 5.9 mm, cw 5.5 mm (MNHN-B 19092), unknown.

REMARKS

Ethusa parapygmaea is known only from the male holotype (MNHN-B 19092) and a second male specimen. It was described as being very close to E. pygmaea Alcock, 1894 , the main difference being their G1. The most distinctive character of E. parapygmaea is the foot-like shape of its G1 ( Chen 1993: fig. 12e). The G1 of a second specimen (MNHN-B 28555) were slightly thicker at the tip than those of the holotype, but their general shape was very similar. In E. pygmaea the G1 have less slender, nearly triangular tips and a pointed prominence along each inner margin of the proximal portion of the tips ( Chen 1993: fig. 13f).

E. parapygmaea is also close to E. indonesiensis Chen, 1997 . Their differences are outlined in the discussion of E. indonesiensis (see above).

Figures

FIG. 34. — Bathymetric distribution of Indo-West Pacific ethusine crabs.