Panulirus

Giraldes, Bruno Welter & Smyth, David Mark, 2016, Recognizing Panulirus meripurpuratus sp. nov. (Decapoda: Palinuridae) in Brazil — Systematic and biogeographic overview of Panulirus species in the Atlantic Ocean, Zootaxa 4107 (3), pp. 353-366 : 362

Key to Atlantic Panulirus —based on colour in life

(Adapted from Williams 1986; Holthuis 1991)

1. Membranous part of telson and uropods uniformly coloured, without bands. Supraorbital horns and ocular peduncle with shades of yellow, orange, brown or green, (not only black and white). Abdomen or full spotted, or with white transverse bands or only white spotted laterally; no conspicuous larger ocellated spot on somites 2 and 6.............................. 2

- Membranous part of telson and uropods transversely banded. Supraorbital horns and ocular peduncle with a conspicuous black and white colour. Abdominal somites with conspicuous ocellated yellow/white spot on either side of each segment, largest on somites 2 and 6; somites 2–6 with two small spots central-dorsally............................................. 5

2. Abdomen fully spotted white, including dorsally. Pereiopods with brown or orange propodus......................... 3

- Abdomen without spots dorsally; when present spots are concentrated on the lateral surfaces. Pereiopods with green propodus.................................................................................................... 4

3. Abdomen, carapace, antennulae and meri of pereiopods white spotted. Carapace, abdomen and antennae greenish. Spines on carapace and grooves of abdomen orange. Propodus and dactylus of pereiopods orange, not spotted. Membranous part of tail fan orange-yellow or reddish. Pleopods same colour as tail fan, with thin white border................ P. guttatus ( Fig. 4 C)

- Only abdomen white spotted. Pereiopods with longitudinal light stripes in shades of white or yellowish. Carapace, abdomen and antennae brownish. Membranous part of telson and uropods dark blue. Pleopods black or dark blue with thin white border................................................................................... P. echinatus ( Fig. 4 D)

4. Carapace with red details dorsally; supraorbital horns yellow with black/brown spots. Antennules not striped. Pereiopods with stripes (not continuous) and intense green propodus and dactylus. Abdominal somites only white spotted laterally. Abdominal somites 1–3 red-brown and 4–6 greenish. Pleopods green, white spotted and with yellow border. Membranous part of tail fan in shades of green (darker at extremities).................................................. P. laevicauda ( Fig. 4 F)

- Bluish or olive green. Carapace without red colouration dorsally. Supraorbital horns dark green dorsally (with yellow tip) and white ventrally. Pereiopods and antennules with continuous longitudinal yellow/white stripe. Abdomen green (with no brownish segments) with a conspicuous transverse white band on each somite. Membranous part of tail fan orange-yellow.............................................................................................. P. regius ( Fig. 4 E)

5. Carapace dark red dorsally, extending onto laterally surfaces. Pereiopods striped longitudinally (including meri and propodus) with different shades and colours. Abdomen darker, with solid colour presenting only as the peculiar spots and a continuous light line in the end of each somite. Pleopods yellow-green with a longitudinal black sickle shape line medially.................................................................................................. P. argus ( Fig. 4 A)

- Pale red on carapace, with darker areas only in cardiac region and on dorso-posterior area of branchial region (near the cardiac); base of spines with dark red colour, conspicuous against the light background. Pereiopods mostly without stripes (present only on carpi), with peculiar conspicuous purple colour on meri; propodus and dactylus orange/brown. Abdomen lighter with several small spots beyond the same peculiar spots as P. argus ; abdominal somites with line of small white spots on grooves and posterior margin of each somite. Pleopods with large black area in centre, with lateral border green or yellowish............................................................................... P. meripurpuratus ( Fig. 4 B)

Figures

FIGURE 4. Species of Panulirus from the Atlantic Ocean. A, P. a rgu s (Latreille, 1804) in Cuba; B, P. meripurpuratus sp. nov. in Bahia, Brazil; C, P. guttatus (Latreille, 1804) in Cuba; D, P. echinatus Smith, 1869 in Pernambuco, Brazil; E, P. regius De Brito Capello, 1864 in Cape Verde; F, P. laevicauda (Latreille, 1817) in Bahia, Brazil. The colours of the textbox correspond to the colour in the distribution map in Fig 5. Photographic Credits: Wolfram Sander (A, C); Claudio Sampaio (B, F); Bruno W. Giraldes (D); Rui Freitas (E).