Trapezia digitalis Latreille, 1828

PETER CASTRO, PETER K. L. NG & SHANE T. AHYONG, 2004, Phylogeny and systematics of the Trapeziidae Miers, 1886 (Crustacea: Brachyura), with the description of a new family, Zootaxa 643, pp. 1-70 : 50-51

Trapezia digitalis Latreille, 1828

Trapezia digitalis Latreille, 1828: 696 .

Trapezia leucodactyla Rüppell, 1830: 28 .

Trapezia fusca Jacquinot, in Hombron & Jacquinot 1846 : pl. 4, figs. 17 (colour)—19; Jacquinot in Lucas 1853: 45.

Trapezia nigrofusca Stimpson, 1858: 219 .

Remarks. This well­known species has a wide distribution, and not surprisingly, has been described (as different species) several times. Latreille (1828: 696) described it from a male collected by Fébure de Cérisy from the Red Sea, but the type, supposedly in the Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle, Paris, is lost.

Rüppell (1830) subsequently described Trapezia leucodactyla from the Red Sea. Rüppell's syntypes (male lectotype, SMF 4040, cl 8.8 mm, cw 9.4 mm; four females paralectotypes, SMF 25963) were examined by Galil (1988b: 164), who concluded that they were identical with T. digitalis . The first author has also examined the lectotype series and concurs with Galils conclusion. Trapezia fusca Jacquinot, 1846 , is also conspecific with T. digitalis , a conclusion reached after examination of its syntypes (four dried specimens, two males and two females, MNHN­B 2951, 2952) by Castro (1997b: 120). Stimpson (1858) then described T. nigrofusca from Lower California, Mexico. It seems clear from the description that Stimpson’s species is identical to T. digitalis . There appears to be no extant type and while we are confident T. nigrofusca is identical with T. digitalis , absence of figures and the loss of Stimpson’s types means that we can never be sure.

A male specimen (MNHN­B 13927; cl 7.5 mm, cw 9.0 mm) from Abu Latt Island (19º57’N, 40º07’E), Red Sea is herein designated as the simultaneous neotype of Trapezia digitalis Latreille, 1828 , and Trapezia nigrofusca Stimpson, 1858 . It was collected by the research vessel Calypso from Pocillopora at an unknown depth and date in 1952. The characteristic colouration of the neotype is still evident. The two names now become objective synonyms.