Uroptychus nitidus ( A. Milne­Edwards, 1880 ), A. Milne-Edwards, 1880

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 : 3-5

Uroptychus nitidus ( A. Milne­Edwards, 1880)

Diptychus nitidus A. Milne­Edwards, 1880: 62 ; A. Milne­Edwards & Bouvier, 1894: 306; 1897: 134, pl. 11, figs. 21–22; pl. 12, figs. 10–16.

Uroptychus nitidus Henderson, 1888: 174 , pl. 21, fig. 6; Benedict, 1902: 292; van Dam, 1933: 37, 41; Chace, 1942: 11, figs., 3–6; Pequegnat & Pequegnat, 1970: 159, figs. 5–15; Melo, 1999: 168, figs. 101–102; Melo­Filho, 1999: 383, fig. 1.

Material examined

Brazil: São Paulo — N.Oc. “Prof. W. Besnard”, st. 6679, 808 m, 2 ex. ( MZUSP 13194), 1 ex. ( MZUSP 13195). Paraná — N.Oc. “Prof. W. Besnard”, st. 6782, 480 m, 1 ex. ( MZUSP 13214). Santa Catarina — N.Oc. “Prof. W. Besnard”, st. 6811, 506 m, 1 ex. ( MZUSP 13201).

Recognition characters (Variety B, of Chace, 1942: 15)

Medium­sized form, carapace 6.6 mm to base of rostrum, 4.8 to 6.7 in ovigerous females. Carapace not very convex dorsally, a fairly deep transverse groove in lateral view; lateral margins more or less denticulate. Rostrum narrow, twice as long as eyes. Cornea slightly wider than eyestalk, medium brown in color. Chelipeds five or slightly more than five times as long as carapace without rostrum; chelipeds more slender in females than in males; merus smooth, devoid of denticles; carpus subcylindrical, with few denticles on lower surface and with a very obscure furrow on inner portion of upper surface; chela broad and flattened dorso­ventrally; fingers shorter than palm, but never more than one­fourth shorter; hiatus usually present in both sexes.

Distribution (Variety B)

Western Atlantic: Gulf of Mexico (southeast), Cuba (north coast of eastern side) Brazil (Pernambuco, Espírito Santo, São Paulo, Paraná, Santa Catarina); between 450 and 808 meters depth.

Remarks

The specimens examined agree almost entirely with the description of U. nitidus variety B by Chace (1942). However, in the material examined, there is a darker stain, close to the posterior margin of the carapace.