Munidopsis bruta, Published, 2007

Published, First, 2007, Species of the genus Munidopsis Whiteaves, 1784 from the Indian and Pacific Oceans and reestablishment of the genus Galacantha A. Milne-Edwards, 1880 (Crustacea, Decapoda, Galatheidae), Zootaxa 1417, pp. 1-135 : 46-47

Munidopsis bruta n. sp.

( Fig. 22)

Material examined. Taiwan, Stn 27, 329– 377 m: 1 M 5.4 mm ( NTOU) . Indonesia, Kei Islands , KARUBAR, Stn 59, 399– 405 m: 1 M 6.9 mm ( MNHN Ga 5721) . Solomon Islands, SALOMON 1, Stn 1754, 1169– 1203 m: 1 F 8.1 mm ( MNHN Ga 5722) . SALOMON 2, Stn 2219, 650– 836 m: 1 F 5.5 mm ( MNHN Ga 5723) .

Type material. The female of 5.5 mm from SALOMON 2, Stn 2219, is the holotype (MNHN-Ga5723). The other specimens are paratypes.

Etymology. From the Latin brutus, rough, in reference to the armature of the carapace.

Description. Carapace quadrangular, devoid of setae, dorsal surface granulose, areas distinct. Gastric region convex, bearing pair of obtuse and granulose large epigastric processes. Cardiac region triangular, with slightly elevated ridge preceded by deep depression; granules of different sizes. Branchial regions with numerous granules, as figured. Rostrum relatively wide at base, distally blunty spiniform, nearly horizontal, dorsal surface convex and granulate, length 0.3 times that of remaining carapace, maximum width one-fourth that of carapace. Frontal margin unarmed, oblique near rostrum, and transverse lateral to antennal peduncle. Lateral margins with obtuse processes or granulose lobes separated by well-defined furrows, lobes without spines.

Pterygostomian region smooth, anteriorly ending in acute angle.

Thoracic sternite 3 short and wide, width about half that of sternite 4.

Abdomen spineless, segments 2 and 3 each with 2 transverse ridges, each anterior ridge elevated. Segment 6 having posterolateral lobes flap-like, not overreaching transverse posteromedian margin. Telson broader than long, divided into 8 plates; posterior plates combined nearly 1.5 times as wide as long.

Eye unarmed, small, movable; cornea distal, globose, slightly narrower than eyestalk.

Basal article of antennule with 2 spines (distolateral and distodorsal), additional lateral spine in several specimens; mesial distal margin somewhat produced, granulate.

Antennal peduncle unarmed, with blunt distomesial and distolateral processes on articles 1–3.

Merus of Mxp 3 with 2 strong flexor marginal spines and 2 or 3 small spines; extensor margin with strong spine on distal end, and 1 or 2 additional small spines along extensor border.

P1 long and slender, subcylindrical, unarmed, with numerous small granules; 2.7–2.8 times as long as carapace in females (3.7–4.5 times in males), clearly longer than P2. Merus clearly overreaching end of rostrum, as long as carapace in females, more than 1.5 times in males, 2.5–2.8 times longer than carpus; palm 1.5 times as long as carpus and slightly longer than fingers in females, more than twice length of carpus and twice length of fingers in males.

P2–P4 subcylindrical, slender, spineless, with numerous granules on meri to propodi. P2–P3 meri subequal, 1.2 times longer than P4 merus. P2 merus shorter than carapace, slightly overreaching end of rostrum; length 2.7–3.0 times that of carpus, about 7 times longer than high, and about 1.5 times that of propodus; dactylus curving, very slender and sharp, with smooth margins, length about two-thirds of propodus.

Epipods absent from all pereopods.

Colour: Carapace and abdomen orange; P1–P4 pale brown.

Remarks. The spineless and granular carapace, and slender pereiopods with smooth dactyli on the flexor margin link M. bruta to M. truculenta Macpherson & Segonzac, 2005 from the Gulf of Guinea, off Congo (800–900 m).

The new species is distinguished from M. truculenta by the armature of the merus of Mxp 3. In the new species the distal spine on the extensor margin and the 2 proximal spines on the flexor margin are clearly stronger than in M. truculenta . The difference is constant for all specimens examined. In M. truculenta , the sternite 3 is broad relative to length, and the sternite 4 bears a broad anterior margin nearly contiguous to the whole posterior margin of sternite 3. In M. bruta , the sternite 4 is anteriorly narrow elongate, the anterior mar- gin is clearly narrower than sternite 3, whereas this margin is nearly as wide as sternite 3 in M. truculenta .

Distribution. Taiwan, Indonesia (Kei Islands) and Solomon Islands, between 399 and 1203 m.