Lamoha superciliosa ( Wood-Mason & Alcock, 1891 )

Forges, Bertrand Richer De & Ng, Peter K. L., 2008, New western Pacific records of Homolidae De Haan, 1839, with descriptions of new species of Homolochunia Doflein, 1904, and Latreillopsis Henderson, 1888 (Crustacea: Decapoda: Brachyura), Zootaxa 1967, pp. 1-35 : 23-25

Lamoha superciliosa ( Wood-Mason & Alcock, 1891)

( Figs. 19A–C, 20A–E, 21A–D, 22E, F)

Hypsophrys superciliosa Wood-Mason & Alcock, 1891: 269 , pl. 14, figs. 4, 4a. — Alcock & Anderson 1895: pl. 14, fig. 4, 4a. — Alcock 1899: 14; 1900: 163. — Alcock, 1901: 67, pl. 6, fig. 24.— Bouvier 1896: 32. — Van Straelen 1928: 19, fig. 3. — Gordon 1950: 220. — Serène & Lohavanijaya 1973: 30, Figs. 43–46, pl. IV, A. — Guinot & Richer de Forges 1981: 543. — Guinot & Richer de Forges 1995: 445, fig. 56c–e, 61i.— Ng & Chen 1999: 761.

Lamoha superciliosa — Ng 1998a: 122. — Ng et al. 2008: 40.

Material examined. Taiwan: Stn. CP 277, 24°23.57’N 122°14.12’E, 1222–1261 m, 14 June 2005: 1 male (18.1 x 14.8 mm), 2 females (12.9 x 9.9 mm, 10.5 x 8.3 mm) ( ZRC 2008.0922 ) .— Stn. CP 280, 24°23.71’N 122°14.22’E, 1213–1261 m, 14 June 2005: 1 ovigerous female (18.0 x 14.9 mm) ( ZRC 2008.0923 ) .

Remarks. Collected by the Investigator in the Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal between 1602 to 1828 m, this species was first reported from the South China Sea by Serène & Lohavanijaya (1973). The present specimens from Taiwan are a new record for the island.

Lamoha superciliosa is a relatively small species with females maturing at less than 20 mm length (see Material Examined). Lamoha superciliosa is easily distinguished from L. longirostris by having two hepatic spines in place of one (see Guinot & Richer de Forges 1995). However, on the Taiwanese specimens, only the three females have two spines on their subhepatic area; the single male specimen only has one. There are other more subtle differences when the Taiwanese material is compared with what has been described and figured from the Indian Ocean,. The sinuous supraocular border has a low tooth formed by the folding of the margin in the Taiwanese specimens but Wood-Mason & Alcock (1891: Pl. 14, fig. 4a) clearly depicted two such teeth on the type specimen from the Arabian Sea. The protogastric region only has one spine in the Indian Ocean material ( Wood-Mason & Alcock 1891: Pl. 14, fig. 4a) but there is only a gentle swelling in the Taiwanese specimens. In addition, the Taiwanese specimens have 11 or 12 spines on the upper margin of the P4 merus (versus only 9 or 10 in the Indian Ocean specimens). The figures of the South China Sea material figured by Serène & Lohavanijaya (1973: Pl. IV, A) show they are certainly closer to the Taiwanese material than to the Indian Ocean ones. However, the observed differences are all relative and subtle, and we are reluctant to recognize them as a separate species, especially in lieu of examining topotypic material of the species. As such, we identify the Pacific material as L. superciliosa for the time being.