Paralomis cubensis Chace, 1939

Hall, Sally & Thatje, Sven, 2010, King crabs up-close: ontogenetic changes in ornamentation in the family Lithodidae (Crustacea, Decapoda, Anomura), with a focus on the genus Paralomis, Zoosystema 32 (3), pp. 495-524 : 498

Paralomis cubensis Chace, 1939

( Fig. 2 )

Paralomis cubensis Chace, 1939: 49 . — Macpherson 1988a: 97, fig. 44, pl. 22B, 23A.

TYPE LOCALITY. — East of Havana, Cuba, 23°12’30’’N, 82°12’W, 420- 548 m.

DISTRIBUTION. — Caribbean Sea and Western Atlantic, 1- 27°N, 300- 600 m.

MATERIAL EXAMINED. — 5 ♀♀ (CL 25-52 mm), 13 šš (CL 23-85 mm) (including paratypes).

SPECIMENS FIGURED. — RV Miss Virginia, 329-366 m, 21.III.1962, 1 ♀ CL 26 mm ( USNM- 231310). — 26°45’N, 84°55’W, 466-732 m, XII.1983, 1 ♀ CL 45.8 mm ( USNM- 213542). — Amazon River Mouth, 411 m, XI.1957, 1 ♀ CL 79.6 mm ( USNM- 231312).

REMARKS

In the original description of the 53.2 mm female holotype of Paralomis cubensis, Chace (1939) notes “the dorsal carapace crowded with tubercles of different sizes,low and rounded on most surfaces,becoming more acute towards the margins”. This description matches the figured specimen ( Fig. 2D, E ) in the CL 30-50 mm size class. Substantial ontogenetic change is seen in P.cubensis , with later growth stages bearing progressively flattened tubercles ( Fig.2G ).Specimens smaller than CL 30 mm bore pedunculate tubercles or spines with a bulbous swelling at the apex ( Fig.2B, C ). Setae are not found on the apices of these tubercles at any growth stage, instead tubercles are covered evenly in short setae. Macpherson (1988a) reports corroborating features in a CL 28 mm specimen, “granules very acute, forming small spines” but does not include a figure.

Figures

FIG. 2. — Paralomis cubensis Chace, 1939: A-C, ♀ CL 26 mm (USNM-231310), RV Miss Virginia, 329-366 m, 21.III.1962; D, E, ♀ CL 45.8 mm (USNM-213542), 26°45’N, 84°55’W, 466-732 m, XII.1983; F, G, ♀ CL 79.6 mm (USNM-231312), Amazon River Mouth, 411 m, XI.1957;A, carapace,dorsal view; B, mid-branchial spine, posterio-lateral view; C, mid-branchial spines, posterio-lateral view; D, carapace, dorsal view; E, mid-branchial region, dorsal view; F, carapace, dorsal view; G, mid-branchial region, dorsal view. Scale bars: A, D, 5 mm; B, 1 mm; C, 2 mm; E, G, 4 mm; F, 10 mm.