Carcinoplax purpurea Rathbun, 1914

Castro, Peter, 2007, A reappraisal of the family Goneplacidae MacLeay, 1838 (Crustacea, Decapoda, Brachyura) and revision of the subfamily Goneplacinae, with the description of 10 new genera and 18 new species, Zoosystema 29 (4), pp. 609-774 : 639

Carcinoplax purpurea Rathbun, 1914

Carcinoplax purpurea Rathbun, 1914: 140 [Philippine Is]. — Tesch 1918: 154 [in list]. — Estampador 1937: 533 [in list]; 1959: 89 [in list] [Philippine Is]. — Serène 1968: 89 [in list]. — Guinot 1969b: 526 [discussion]; 1989: 283 [discussion], figs 11, 21, pl. 4 [holotype] [Philippine Is, Indonesia]; 1971: 1081 [in list]. — Sakai 1969: 270 [in list], fig. 15d [holotype]; 1976: 524 [in key], 524, pl. 190, fig. 1 [ Japan]. — Serène & Vadon 1981: 119, 120, 123 [Philippine Is] (part). — Chen 1984: 189 [in key], 189, 192, 197, 201, figs 1, pl. 1, figs 3, 4, 9; 1998: 266 [in key], 268, 310 [in list], fig. 2 [East and South China seas]. — Dai et al. 1986: 866 [in key], 368, fig. 191, pl. 53, fig. 6 [South China Sea]. — Dai & Yang 1991: 394 [in key], 396, fig. 191, pl. 53, fig. 6 [South China Sea]. — Miyake 1991: 220 [in list] [ Japan]. — Muraoka 1998: 47 [in list] [ Japan]. — Hsueh & Huan 2002: 119 [in key], 125, figs 8C, 10 [ Taiwan]. — Karasawa & Kato 2003b: 141 [in list].

Not Carcinoplax purpurea – Balss 1929: 24 (? = C. monodi Guinot, 1989 ).

Not Carcinoplax ( purpurea ?) – Stephensen 1946: 166, 208, fig. 44 [Persian Gulf] (= C. sinica Chen, 1984 ).

Not Carcinoplax purpurea – Serène & Lohavanijaya 1973: 62 [in list], 63 [in key], 66, figs 148-155, pl. 14, figs B, C, pl. 15, fig. B (= Carcinoplax sinica Chen, 1984 ).

Not Carcinoplax purpurea – Serène & Vadon 1981: 118, 123 (part) (= Carcinoplax sinica Chen, 1984 ).

TYPE MATERIAL. — Albatross, stn 5376, ♀ holotype, cl 28.9 mm, cw 38.3 mm ( USNM 46143).

TYPE LOCALITY. — Philippine Islands, between Luzon and Mindoro, Verde Island Passage, 13°42’N, 121°51.5’E, 165 m.

MATERIAL EXAMINED. — Taiwan. Tai-Chi fishing port, T.- Y. Chan coll., 28.X.2004, 2 ♂♂ ( MNHN-B 29773).

Vietnam. Tonkin Bay, Orlik, stn 46, 22.I.1960, 1 pre-adult ♀ ( MNHN-B 29771).

Philippine Islands. South China Sea, MUSORSTOM 1, stn CP 45, 13°46’N, 120°24’E, 100-180 m, 24.III.1976, 1 ♀ ( MNHN-B 10144).

Verde Island Passage, between Luzon and Mindoro, Albatross, stn 5376, 13°42’N, 121°51.5’E, 165 m, 2.III.1909, ♀ holotype ( USNM 46143).

PANGLAO 2005, stn CP 2377, Dipolog Bay, 08°40.6’N, 123°20.3’E, 85-88 m, 28.V.2005, 1 ♂, 1 pre-adult ♂, 1 ♀ ( ZRC 2006.0187), 1 ♂ ( ZRC 2006.0216). — Stn CP 2378, Dipolog Bay, 08°38.8’N, 123°20.1’E, 65 m, 28.V.2005, 1 ♂, 1 ♀ ( MNHN-B 30249).

DISTRIBUTION. — Western Pacific Ocean from Japan to Indonesia. Depth: 17- 180 m.

COLOUR

The carapace of freshly-preserved specimens from Taiwan was light purple with a medial purple-red line crossing from the front to the posterior border. There was a purple-red marking on the carpi of the chelipeds and the distal margin of the meri. The postero-lateral borders of the carapace were light purple to grey.

REMARKS

Characteristic of C. purpurea is its globose, inflated carapace and short anterolateral teeth that disappear with increased carapace size (see Chen 1984: figs 1-1 to 1-4, pl. 1, figs 3, 4, 9; Guinot 1989: pl. 4, figs A, D, F, G, I, J). The species is contrasted to C. sinica in the Remarks of the latter (see below) and by Guinot (1989: 287).

A badly preserved specimen from northwest Madagascar (♂, MNHN-B 10169) appears to be close to C. purpurea as far as the shape of the carapace is concerned. Only one G1 remains and it is unfortunately incomplete. Guinot (1989) showed that the Red Sea material of Balss (1929) credited to C. purpurea probably belonged to C. monodi Guinot, 1989 , and that from the Persian Gulf ( Stephensen 1946) to C. sinica Chen, 1984 .