Munida flinti Benedict, 1902

De, Gustavo A. S. & Melo-Filho, 2006, Reports on the results of the N. Oc. “ Prof. W. Besnard ” expeditions to the southern coast of Brazil under the Revizee Program: Chirostylidae and Galatheidae (Crustacea: Decapoda: Anomura), Zootaxa 1238, pp. 1-22 : 7-8

Munida flinti Benedict, 1902

Munida Stimpsoni A. Milne­Edwards, 1880: 47 [part.]; A. Milne­Edwards & Bouvier, 1897: 48 [part.], pl. 4, fig. 1.

Munida stimpsoni .— Henderson, 1888: 126, pl. 14, fig. 1; Moreira, 1901: 83; Coelho & Ramos, 1972: 172; Coelho, Ramos & Melo, 1990: 25.

Munida flinti Benedict, 1902: 258 , fig. 9; Chace, 1942: 57; Springer & Bullis, 1956: 15; Pequegnat & Pequegnat, 1970: 130; Takeda, 1983: 87; Melo­Filho & Melo, 1992b: 765, figs. 15–16; 1997: 193, fig. 2, a–f; Melo­Filho, 1998: 394; Melo, 1999: 182, fig. 111; Melo­Filho, 1999: 390, fig. 9; Melo­Filho & Melo, 2001a: 1180, figs. 3, 4; 2001b: 1146, figs. 10, 11; 2001c: 43.

Material examined

Gulf of Mexico: USS “Albatross”, st. 2404, 108 m, off the Mississippi Delta, 1885, 1 ex. ( USNM 9778, lectotype). Caribbean Sea: USS “Blake”, st. 262, 166 m, Grenada, 1 ex. ( MCZ 2821, syntype of the M. stimpsoni ). Brazil: São Paulo — N.Oc. “Prof. W. Besnard”, st. 6651, 256 m, 3 ex. ( MZUSP 13205); st. 6652, 206 m, 1 ex. ( MZUSP 13251); st. 6660, 314 m, 4 ex. ( MZUSP 13211), st. 6666, 163 m, 4 ex. ( MZUSP 13211).

Recognition characters

Carapace with arched margins. Outer orbital spine followed by 4 small lateral spines. Gastric area with 2 pairs of spines behind supraocular spines: 1 well­developed epigastric pair, and another, smaller protogastric pair. One parahepatic spine on each side of carapace, forming hexagon with preceding spines. Anterior hepatic and branchial areas unarmed. One small postcervical spine on each side. One spine on mesocardiac sulcus. Posterior margin of carapace with 1 pair of spines. Remainder of carapace unarmed. Transverse lines continuous, indistinct, with regularly spaced cilia. Abdominal tergites 2, 3 and 4 with anterior margin armed. Tergite 4 with posterior margin unarmed or, more rarely, armed with 1 spine. Peduncle of antennule with 1 inner terminal spine little longer than outer spine. Lateral margin with 2 spines of average development. Peduncle of antenna with small outer distal spine on segment 2. Remaining segments unarmed. Third maxilliped with strong spine at middle of ventral (flexor) margin of merus.

Distribution

Western Atlantic: Gulf of Mexico (north and south coasts), Lesser Antilles ( Grenada), Guiana, Brazil (Alagoas, Espírito Santo, Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo, Paraná, Santa Catarina, Rio Grande do Sul) and Uruguay (to the north of the Rio de la Plata); usually 11–315 meters depth; a single specimen was collected at 630 meters depth by the HMS “Challenger” (st. 122, Alagoas).

Remarks

Munida flinti differs from the similar species ( M. benedicti Chace , M. stimpsoni A. Milne­Edwards and M. striata Chace ), in having only the second segment of the antennal peduncle armed. Besides, it possesses a carapace with continuous transverse lines, little marked, and the peduncle of the antenna with the distal segment relatively short. The spinulation of the carapace and abdominal tergites is extremely variable in M. flinti (Melo­ Filho, 1992). According to Chace (1942), the specimens of M. flinti from stations 16 and 262 of USS "Blake" are syntypes of M. stimpsoni . All of the records of this last species for the Brazilian coast actually refer to M. flinti . Melo­Filho & Melo (1997) selected the male from USS “Albatross” station 2404 (Gulf of Mexico, off the Mississippi Delta; USNM 9778) as the lectotype.