Catapaguroides microps A. Milne-Edwards & Bouvier, 1892

Lemaitre, Rafael & Tavares, Marcos, 2015, New taxonomic and distributional information on hermit crabs (Crustacea: Anomura: Paguroidea) from the Gulf of Mexico, Caribbean Sea, and Atlantic coast of South America, Zootaxa 3994 (4), pp. 451-506 : 480-483

Catapaguroides microps A. Milne-Edwards & Bouvier, 1892

( Figs. 12 , 13 )

Catapaguroides microps A. Milne-Edwards & Bouvier, 1892: 211 (type locality: Mazagan cape [off Morocco, eastern Atlantic], Travailleur, sta 1, 33°09’N, 11°38’W).—A. Milne-Edwards & Bouvier, 1900: 207, pl. 24, figs. 17–20.—de Saint Laurent, 1968 (in part? see Remarks): 935, figs 1, 3–7, 9, 11–14, 16,?not figs 17, 21–24.— Ingle, 1993: 108, 77– 80.— Lins & Cardoso, 2010: 70, figs 1, 2.—Komai et al., 2010: 40.— McLaughlin et al., 2010: 28.— Komai & Rahayu, 2013: 144, tab 1.

Type material. Holotype male [not examined, unknown deposition, see de Saint Laurent (1968: 935)], Travailleur, sta 1, Gulf of Gascogne, 2818 m, 13 Jun 1881; paratypes: 1 female 1.9, 1 imm. female 1.2 mm, same station as holotype ( USNM 22919).

New material. Northwestern Atlantic, United States. North American Basin, off North Carolina, 2500 m, coll. R. Menzies: 2 ov females 1.9, 2.2 mm ( USNM 171543).

Gulf of Mexico. R/V Alaminos : sta 68A7-15, 29°10.3’N, 87°31.5’W, 1097.3 m, 9 Aug 1968: 1 ov female 2.4 mm ( USNM 1245085, exTCWC 2-0729); sta 67A5-8B, 28°55’N, 87°24’W, 1494.1 m, 18 Jul 1967: 1 female 1.9 mm ( TCWC 2-0728); sta 66A9-15, 28°13.5’N, 87°04’W, 1000.3 m, 11 Jul 1966: 2 males 1.3, 1.8 mm ( USNM 1245086, exTCWC 2-0727); sta 69A11-2, 27°24.3’N, 94°32’W, 969.3 m, 6 Aug 1969: 1 ov female 1.8 mm (TA 2- 3514); sta 69A11-13, 27°01.6’N, 94°42’W, 1463 m, 10 Aug 1969: 1 male 2.1 mm ( TCWC 2-3516); sta 69A11-7, 27°01.5’N, 94°43.5’W, 1399 m, 7 Aug 1969: 2 females 1.0, 1.5 mm, 1 ov female 1.6 mm ( TCWC 2-3515); sta 69A11-86, 21°41.1’N, 96°51.0’W, 969.3 m, 25 Aug 1969: 8 males 1.5–2.4 mm, 3 females 1.6–1.7 mm, 1 ov female 2.2 mm ( TCWC 2-3519); sta 69A11-83, 21°35’N, 96°45’W, 1325.9 m, 24 Aug 1969: 1 male 1.9 mm ( TCWC 2-3518); sta 69A11-69, 20°07.5’N, 96°10.5’W, 1371.6 m, 21 Aug 1969: 1 male 2.5 mm ( TCWC 2-0730); sta 69A11-39, 19°01’N, 94°54’W, 1298.5 m, 15 Aug 1969: 1 male 2.5 mm ( TCWC 2-3517). USFC Albatross: sta 2385, 28°51’00”N, 88°18’00”W, 1335 m, [no day, month] 1885: 1 male 2.1 mm ( USNM 265205). R/V Citation, cruise IV, coll. LGL Ecological Research Associates: off Florida, sta E3C, MMS-NGOMCS/4514, 28°16’00”N, 86°36’16”W, 838–847 m, 20 May 1985: 1 male 1.8 mm ( USNM 265257); off Louisiana, sta WC-3, MMS- NGOMCS/5503, 27°35’13”N, 92°22’40”W, 768–781 m, 9 Jun 1985: 2 males 2.1, 2.2 mm, 1 female 1.5 mm ( USNM 265256); off Louisiana, sta WC-9, MMS-NGOMCS/4517, 27°42’47”N, 91°15’17”W, 695–807 m, 23 May 1985: 4 males 1.6–2.2 mm, 1 ov female 1.9 mm ( USNM 265258).

Caribbean Sea. Barbados, E of Barbados, USFC Albatross, sta 2754, 11°40’00N, 58°33’00”W, 1610 m, 5 Dec 1887: 1 ov female 2.5 mm ( USNM 267531); Venezuela, N of Orchila Island, R/V Pillsbury, cruise 6806, sta 741, 11°47’48”N, 66°06’48”W, [no depth], 23 Jul 1968: 1 male 1.8 mm ( USNM 310803); Venezuela, Los Roques Islands, R/V Pillsbury, sta P-747, 11°46’N, 67°05’48”W, 1175– 1098 m, 24 Jul 1968: 1 male 2.4 mm ( USNM 1012671).

Southwestern Atlantic. Guiana: Guiana Basin, N of Surinam, R/V Knorr, sta 25-293, 8°58’00”N, 54°04’18”W, 1456–1518 m, 27 Feb 1972: 2 males 1.2, 1.3 mm, 2 females 0.6, 1.1 mm ( USNM 1111032). Brazil: Espírito Santo, TAAF MD55, sta 45 CB 79, 19°01’S, 37°47’W, 1500–1575 m, 28 May 1987: 1 male 1.8 mm, 1 female 1.7 mm, in gastropod shells ( MZUSP 16813); Rio de Janeiro, TAAF MD55, sta 59 CB 99, 21°36’S, 39°58’W, 1190–1205 m, 31 May 1987: 1 female 2.1 mm ( MZUSP 16826); continental slope of Campos Basin, Rio de Janeiro, Ocean prof II BC Norte, PS/V Astro Garoupa, sta 59 (16-1), about 21°53’S, 39°51’W, 1059 m, 22 Aug 2003: 2 males 2.4, 2.5 mm, 2 ov females 2.2, 2.3 mm ( MNRJ 20458); Campos Basin, off Rio de Janeiro, Ocean Prof II BC Norte, sta MNRJ 20458, 22°14’51”S, 39°52’59”W, 1059–1110 m, 22 Aug 2003, coll. C. Serejo: 2 males 2.4, 2.5 mm, 2 ov females 2.2, 2.3 mm ( USNM 1009469); São Paulo: TAAF MD55, sta 65 CB 106, 23°54’S, 42°10’W, 830 m, 2 Jun 1987: 1 male 1.7 mm, in gastropod shell ( MZUSP 16827); TAAF MD55, sta 65 CB 107, 24°00’S, 42°14’W, 1020 m, 2 Jun 1987: 2 males 1.8, 2.1 mm, 4 females 1.3–1.8 mm, 7 ov females 1.7–2.4 mm ( MZUSP 16815).

Diagnosis. See de Saint Laurent (1968), Ingle (1993), and Lins & Cardoso (2010).

Distribution. Amphi-Atlantic: in the western Atlantic, from off North Carolina, Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean to off the northern coast of São Paulo, Brazil; in the eastern Atlantic from Finistère coast in France, Spain and Portugal, to Morocco, including the Azores. Presumably from western Pacific: Indonesia. Depth: 718 to 2818 m.

Remarks. Several detailed reports with diagnosis and illustrations of this species have been published since A. Milne-Edwards & Bouvier (1892) original description, although these studies used specimens from the northeastern Atlantic (de Saint Laurent 1968; Ingle 1993). Reports of this species from the western Atlantic are few and scattered, somewhat cryptic. Based on correspondence with A.J. Provenzano, Jr., de Saint Laurent (1968: 937) reported this species from the Caribbean in a footnote. Felder et al. (2009) reported this species in their list of decapods from the Gulf of Mexico, based on ecological reports ( Pequegnat et al. 1983; Wicksten & Packard 2005) and a few museum specimens they examined. Lins & Cardoso (2010) reported and illustrated specimens of this species from southeastern Brazil, as far south as 22°45’S, and provided the only available illustrations and summary of diagnostic characters based on specimens from the western Atlantic. Herein, we report specimens from the northwest, northeast, and southwest Gulf of Mexico, Caribbean, and additional material from the southwestern Atlantic. The latter specimens slightly extend the southern distribution of C. microps on the coast of Brazil along the Campos Basin, from approximately 22°S to 24°S. Specimens from the Gulf of Mexico are illustrated to document additional morphological details and variations across the western Atlantic range of C. microps ( Figs. 12 , 13 ).

Morphological variations related to sex are exhibited on the right cheliped, with the chela in males frequently attaining a more elongated shape (2.8 as long as broad, including fingers), and larger size than in females (2.2 as long as broad, including fingers). One ovigerous female (TCWC 2-3519) has paired gonopores, whereas the genus and species diagnosis indicate that this species has unpaired, left gonopore.

This species has been considered to have a cosmopolitan distribution based on de Saint Laurent’s (1968: figs 17, 21–24) report of two females from the “ Siboga ” Expedition to Indonesia, the only record outside of the Atlantic and which has been taken as the source of the overall distribution of this species by various carcinologists ( Ingle 1993; Felder et al. 2009; Lins & Cardoso 2010; Komai & Rahayu 2013). However, based on unpublished studies of recent collections, McLaughlin et al. (2010: 37) questioned the conspecificity of the Indonesian and eastern Atlantic material used by de Saint Laurent. Although P.A. McLaughlin passed away (Lemaitre 2012) and her study was never published, we agree that the “ Siboga ” material should be reexamined to confirm or not whether it can be considered conspecific with the Atlantic material, and for the time being consider de Saint Laurent’s Indonesian record questionable.

Figures

FIGURE 12. Catapaguroides microps A. Milne-Edwards & Bouvier, 1892: male 1.8 mm, Gulf of Mexico, R / V Alaminos, sta 66 A 9 – 15 (USNM 1245086): A, shield and cephalic appendages, dorsal; B, right cheliped, dorsal; C, left cheliped, dorsal; D, propodus and dactyl of left fourth pereopod, lateral; E, telson, dorsal. Scales: 0.5 mm.

FIGURE 13. Catapaguroides microps A. Milne-Edwards & Bouvier, 1892: male 1.8 mm, Gulf of Mexico, R / V Alaminos, sta 66 A 9 – 15 (USNM 1245086): A, right second pereopod, lateral; B, dactyl of same, mesial; C, right third pereopod, lateral; D, dactyl of same, mesial; E, sternum, coxae of pereopods, and sexual tube, ventral. Scales: 0.5 mm.