Trapezia formosa Smith, 1869

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 : 51

Trapezia formosa Smith, 1869

Trapezia cymodoce var. edentula Laurie, 1915: 461 .

Remarks. The taxonomic status of this species was reviewed by Castro (1998). Trapezia cymodoce var. edentula Laurie, 1915 was described for specimens of T. cymodoce in which “… the lateral epibranchial tooth was absent and the hand naked.” It was presumed to be identical to T. bidentata (as T. ferruginea ) by Castro (1999b: 108). Both characters are indeed shared by T. bidentata and T. formosa . In T. formosa , however, the anterolateral teeth become barely noticeable or absent in much smaller individuals and the chelipeds are thicker and shorter than in T. bidentata . The two syntypes of T. cymodoce var. edentula (BMNH 1907.5.22.263–264) from Galle, Ceylon (= Sri Lanka) were examined and proved to be identical to T. formosa . The male syntype (cl 5.1 mm, cw 4.2 mm) is here designated the lectotype; the female syntype (cl 5.6 mm, cw 7.6 mm) becomes the paralectotype.