Thalamita admete (Herbst, 1803)

Shaga, I Bevin, Priya, K, Ramar, Selvakumar, Srinidhi, S, Mohan, G Chandra, Ranganathan, Sukanya, Moulvi, S M M & Mani, Bhuvaneswari, 2023, A Small Collection of Subtidal Crabs (Crustacea: Decapoda: Brachyura) from the Palau Islands Collected by Dredging, Bulletin of the National Museum of Nature and Science. Series A, Zoology 49 (1), pp. 7-42 : 19

Thalamita admete (Herbst, 1803)

Material examined. Off Kuwannon , Koror Is., Palau Is., dredged, with coralline algae; 1Ə (cb 15.8×cl 10.0 mm), 1 8 (11.6× 7.6 mm), NSMT-Cr 30969; June 17, 1980; K. Baba leg.

Remarks. This species is the commonest among the Thalamita species having two lobedfront, being characterized by the basal antennal segment armed with a crest fringed with sharp granules as figured by Wee and Ng (1995). Many synonyms of this species including Thalamita dispar Rathbun, 1914 , were discussed in detail by Stephenson and Rees (1967).

Distribution. Many records of occurrence in the whole Indo-West Pacific, from tidal flats to shallow waters.

Thalamita chaptalii ( Audouin, 1826) ( Fig. 7E–F)

Material examined. Off Kuwannon , Koror Is., Palau Is., dredged, with coralline algae; 1 Ə (cb 12.6×cl 8.2 mm), NSMT-Cr 30970; June 17, 1980, K. Baba leg. ʕEntrance of Toagle Mid in Arangel Channel , Babelthuap I., Palau Is., 40 m in depth, mud; 1Ə (8.6×6.0 mm), NSMT-Cr 30971, 1Ə (12.4× 8.4mm), 1 ovig.8 (11.7× 8.1 mm), NSMT-Cr 30972; June 22, 1980; K. Baba leg. ʕ Inside of Gesodokkuru Reef off Arumo- nogui, Babelthuap I., Palau Is, dredged, ca. 20 m in depth; 1 ovig.8 (11.1× 7.2mm), NSMT-Cr 30973; July 13, 1980; K. Baba leg.

Remarks. This species was briefly character- ized by Wee and Ng (1995), with figures, being most characterized by the weakly arched front divided into two by a small median notch ( Fig. 7E–F). The carapace dorsal ridges are also simply but clearly shown by Crosnier (1962), with a pair of the frontal, mesogastric, metagastric, epibranchial and mesobranchial ridges, but no cardiac ridge ( Fig. 7E–F).

Distribution. Indo-West Pacific from the Red Sea and Madagascar to Australia, Tahiti, and the Ryukyu Islands. The occurrence in the Ryukyu Islands is referred to Nagai and Nomura (1988); the definite locality was not recorded, but the identification is acceptable for the photograph in the filed. New to the Palau Islands.