Liagore De Haan, 1833

Ng, Peter K. L. & Naruse, Tohru, 2007, Liagore pulchella, a new species of xanthid crab (Crustacea: Decapoda: Brachyura) from Vanuatu, Zootaxa 1665, pp. 53-60 : 53-54

Liagore De Haan, 1833

Remarks. Ng & Chen (2004: 2356) argued that despite its atypical carapace features, Liagore should nevertheless be placed in the Xanthidae . They commented that while “ Liagore is typically xanthoid, its familial position has been uncertain and it has been unplaced in modern classifications (e.g. Guinot, 1971; Serène, 1984). The carapace features of Liagore are superficially similar to those of Carpilius Desmarest, 1823 , in the Carpiliidae Ortmann, 1893 , and the genus has been linked or even placed there ( Serène, 1984; Ng & Davie, 2002). In members of the Carpiliidae , the G1 is stout and the G2 very long. The G1 and G2 of Liagore , however, are typically xanthid s. str., with the G1 slender and the G2 very short ( Fig. 4 ). Liagore currently contains just two species, L. rubromaculata (De Haan, 1835) , from the western Pacific and L. erythematica Guinot, 1971 , from the Indian Ocean. A recent study ( Wetzer et al., 2003) also does not support any close relationship between Carpilius and Liagore . Within the Xanthidae MacLeay, 1838 , Liagore is perhaps best placed in the Xanthinae (sensu Serène, 1984). The smooth and rounded carapace of Liagore , without discernible regions, however, is rather atypical for xanthines. Ovatis bridges the gap. Its carapace is smooth, but the surfaces are punctuated, and the regions are barely visible. In Liagore , the antero- and posterolateral margins are not well demarcated but gently merging, giving the carapace a more rounded appearance. In Ovatis , the antero- and posterolateral margins are also more clearly separated. Both genera are here referred to the Xanthinae MacLeay, 1838 .”

Števčić (2005), however, established a new tribe in the subfamily Xanthinae , Liagorini, for Liagore . The differences cited by him, however, are not exclusive to the genus, and considering genera like Ovatis Ng & Chen, 2004 , the stated diagnostic characters are not valid. We therefore regard Liagorini Števčić, 2005, as a junior synonym of Xanthinae MacLeay, 1838 .

Figures

FIGURE 4. Male first and second gonopods of Liagore pulchell, new species (holotype male, MNHN (EP 4), 45.4 × 32.9 mm). a, left G 1, ventral view; b, distal part of left G 1, ventral view; c, distal part of left G 1, dorsal view; d, left G 2. Scale bars = 1 mm.