Munidopsis cornuata, 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 : 55-57

Munidopsis cornuata n. sp.

( Fig. 27)

Material examined. New Caledonia, BIOGEOCAL, Stn 283, 2370– 2375 m: 1 F 4.4 mm, holotype (MNHN- Ga5559) .

Etymology. From the Latin cornuatus, horn shaped, in reference to the shape of the eye-spine.

Description. Carapace slightly longer than broad; dorsal surface moderately convex from side to side, covered with sparsely setose squamae and granules; cervical groove moderately distinct, regions well defined, gastric and cardiac regions slightly more convex than branchial regions. Gastric region with pair of broad, granulated, epigastric processes. Cardiac region triangular, preceded by deep transverse groove. Rostrum triangular, broad, horizontal in lateral view, about half length of remaining carapace, maximum width 0.3 carapace breadth; apex subacute, margins serrate, dorsally carinate and sparsely granulated. Frontal margin concavely oblique behind ocular peduncle, leading to acute antennal spine, then concavely oblique toward strong anterolateral spine. Lateral margins with 4 or 5 blunt spines, weakly convex, with distinct notch at each end of anterior and posterior cervical grooves. Posterior margin preceded by moderately elevated ridge.

Pterygostomian flap granulated, anteriorly angular.

Sternum as long as broad, maximum width at sternite 7. Sternites smooth; sternite 3 broad, slightly bilobate, separated by median notch, about 3 times wider than long; sternite 4 about twice wider than sternite 3.

Abdomen smooth; segments 2ñ4 each with 2 slightly produced transverse ridges separate by shallow transverse groove; segment 6 with weakly produced posterolateral lobes and nearly transverse posteromedian margin. Telson composed of 8 plates; posterior plates combined about twice as wide as long.

Ocular peduncle fixed, with strong mesial eye-spine ending in 2 spines overreaching cornea and antennal peduncle, lateral margin with blunt spine; cornea small, lateral, clearly narrower than eye-spine.

Basal article of antennular peduncle with strong dorsolateral and distolateral spines, and two blunt additional spines on lateral side, distomesial margin with some teeth.

Basal article of antennal peduncle with serrated distomesial and distolateral processes; segments 2 or 3 with blunt distomesial and distolateral spines; article 4 with small distomesial spine.

Mxp 3 ischium granulated, as long as merus measured on extensor margin, flexor and extensor margins terminating in small blunt spine; 17 corneous denticles on crista dentata. Flexor margin of merus with 4 spines decreasing in size distally; extensor margin with distal spine.

P1 subequal, short, massive, slightly longer than carapace, with sparse soft plumose setae. Merus nearly twice length of carpus, with numerous well-developed spines along mesial and lateral margins, and some small spines on dorsal surface. Carpus as long as high, with 3 well-developed spines along mesial margin, some scattered spines on dorsal surface. Palm slightly longer than carpus, with small spines along mesian margin and some scattered granules on dorsal surface and lateral margin. Fingers slightly longer than palm, opposable margins nearly straight, not gaping, distally spooned; fixed finger without distolateral carina.

P2–P4 sparsely granulated; P2 longest, overreaching end of P1, 1.5 times carapace length. P2 with merus half carapace length, more than 3 times longer than high, 2 times length of carpus and nearly 1.5 length of propodus; row of spines along dorsal and ventral margins, increasing in size distally; carpus with longitudinal crest on lateral surface, and row of 3 or 4 spines along dorsal margin; propodus more than 3 times as long as high, dorsal margin with some small spines proximally; ventral margin unarmed; dactylus slightly shorter than propodus, slightly curved, flexor margin nearly straight, with 6 teeth, proximally diminishing, each tooth with single seta.

Epipod on P1.

Remarks. Munidopsis cornuata belongs to the group of species with 2 epigastric carapace spines or processes only, with antennal spine, the rostrum spiniform, the abdominal segment 6 with the posteromedian margin weakly convex, not produced, the eyestalks short relative to length, the mesial eye-spine present, the P2 overreaching the end of the P1, the fixed finger without denticulate carina on the distolateral margin, the P2–P4 dactyli curved distally, the ultimate flexor marginal tooth much closer to the penultimate than to the tip of the article, and epipods on the P1. The closest species is M. geyeri Pequegnat & Pequegnat, 1970 , from the Caribbean Sea, Gulf of Guinea and Azores Islands ( Macpherson & Segonzac 2005). The following features can differentiate these two species:

— The mesial eye-spine is strong and bifurcated in M. cornuata , being single in M. geyeri . The cornea is small, narrower than eye-spine in the new species, being larger in M. geyeri .

— The carapace bears two well-developed epigastric spines in M. geyeri , but a pair of broad, granulated, epigastric processes in M. cornuata .

— The carapace lateral margins bear a well-developed spine on the antero-branchial region in M. geyeri , instead of a blunt and small spine in the new species.

Distribution. Only known from New Caledonia, at 2370–2375 m.