Carcinoplax spinosissima 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 : 644-645

Carcinoplax spinosissima Rathbun, 1914

Carcinoplax spinosissima Rathbun, 1914: 139 [Philippine Is]. — Tesch 1918: 154 [in list]. — Estampador 1937: 533 [in list]; 1959: 89 [in list] [Philippine Is]. — Serène 1968: 90 [in list]. — Sakai 1969: 271 [in list], fig. 15f [holotype]. — Serène & Lohavanijaya 1973: 62 [in list], 64 [in key]. — Serène & Vadon 1981: 118-120, 123, 127 [Philippine Is]. — Guinot 1989: 291 [discussion], figs 16, 20, pl. 7 [Philippine Is, Indonesia]. — Chen 1998: 266 [in key], 270, 310 [in list], fig. 4 [South China Sea]. — Hsueh & Huang 2002: 119 [in key], 119, figs 5, 8A [ Taiwan]. — Ng & Manuel-Santos 2007: figs 6C, 9C, 10C, 11C, 12C, 13D [ Philippines Is].

TYPE MATERIAL. — Albatross, stn 5417, ♂ holotype, cl 28.0 mm, cw 33.5 mm ( USNM 46173).

TYPE LOCALITY. — Philippine Islands, between Cebu and Bohol, 10°10’N, 123°53’E, 302 m.

MATERIAL EXAMINED. — Philippine Islands. Verde Island Passage, MUSORSTOM 2, stn CP 67, 14°00’N, 120°18’E, 193-199 m, 29.XI.1980, 2 ♂♂, 2 ♀♀ ( MNHN-B 10113).

MUSORSTOM 3, stn DW 99, 14°01’N, 120°19’E, 196-204 m, 1.VI.1985, 1 ♂ ( MNHN-B 29792).

Between Cebu and Bohol, Albatross, stn 5417, 10°10’N, 123°53’E, 302 m, 25.III.1909, ♂ holotype ( USNM 46173).

Bohol, Balicasag I., off Panglao I., tangle nets of local fishermen, 50-500 m, 28.XI.2001, 1 ♂, 1 ♀ ( ZRC 2001.0535). — 50-500 m, III.2004, 1 ovig. ♀ ( ZRC 2004.0712). — II.2004, 1 ♂, 1 ♀ parasitised by Sacculina (ZRC) . — Panglao I., Maribohoc Bay, tangle nets of local fishermen, 100-300 m, T. J. Arbasto coll., XI.2003 - IV.2004, 1 ♂ ( MNHN-B 29729).

PANGLAO 2005, stn CP 2331, Maribohoc Bay, 09°39.2’N, 123°47.5’E, 255-268 m, 22.V.2005, 1 ♀ ( MNHN-B 30250). — Stn CP 2348, off Pamilican I., 09°31.6’N, 123°55.7’E, 219-240 m, 24.V.2005, 1 pre-adult ♀ ( ZRC). — Stn CP 2373, off Aligban I., 08°42.0’N, 123°13.3’E, 165-237 m, 27.V.2005, 1 ♂ ( ZRC 2006.0210). — Stn 2407, Maribohoc Bay, 09°41.3’N, 123°48.5’E, 256-268 m, 1.VI.2005, 1 ♀ parasitised by sacculinid ( ZRC 2006.0206).

DISTRIBUTION. — Western Pacific Ocean from Taiwan ( Hsueh & Huang 2002) to Indonesia ( Guinot 1989). Depth: 165- 302 m. Material was also obtained from tangle nets of local fishermen in the Philippines that obtained specimens from estimated depths of 50- 500 m.

COLOUR

A photograph of a specimen from the Philippine Is (PANGLAO 2005) had an orange carapace with a few irregular white lines and spots. The ambulatory legs were orange with irregular white spots.

REMARKS

Diagnostic of C. spinosissima are the conspicuous setae on the carapace, chelipeds (P1), and ambulatory legs (P2-P5). Large specimens lack the setae and sometimes the characteristic acute tubercles on the dorsal surface of the cheliped meri ( Guinot 1989: pl. 7, figs F, H). Also diagnostic is the presence of a tooth on the distal, dorsal margins of the ambulatory leg (P2-P5) meri, which Rathbun (1914) did not mention in her description of the species. Some specimens, however, may lack a tooth on one or more of the legs but the tooth is always present on the other member of the pair. The tooth is clearly shown by Hsueh & Huang (2002: fig. 5C). Differences between C. spinosissima and C. nana , which also has conspicuous setae, are outlined in the Remarks section for the latter (see above).