Ethusina chenae Ng & Ho, 2003

Castro, Peter, 2005, Crabs of the subfamily Ethusinae Guinot, 1977 (Crustacea, Decapoda, Brachyura, Dorippidae) of the Indo-West Pacific region, Zoosystema 27 (3), pp. 499-600 : 552-553

Ethusina chenae Ng & Ho, 2003

Ethusina desciscens – Chen 1985: 197, figs 15, 16, pl. 1, figs 4, 5 (not E. desciscens ( Alcock, 1896)) .

? Ethusina desciscens – Marumura & Kosaka 2003: 23.

Ethusa robusta – Chen 1986: 133, fig. 13. — Chen & Sun 2002: 248, fig. 106 (not E. robusta ( Miers, 1886)) .

Ethusina chenae Ng & Ho, 2003: 75 , figs 6, 7.

TYPE MATERIAL. — Holotype: cl 10. 6 mm, cw 10.9 mm, TAIWAN 2000, stn CP 39 ( NTOU); paratype: cl 8.4 mm, cw 8.5 mm, same station as holotype ( ZRC).

TYPE LOCALITY. — Taiwan, off southwestern coast, 21°57.5’N, 121°03.2’E, 1316-1317 m.

MATERIAL EXAMINED. — Taiwan. TAIWAN 2000, stn CP 39, 21°57.5’N, 121°03.2’E, 1316-1317 m, 1.VIII.2000, 1 holotype ( NTOU) ; 1 parasitized with Sacculina sp. ( MNHN-B 28827 ) .

TAIWAN 2002, stn CP 189, 21°39.91’N, 118°20.94’E, 1649- 1629 m, 27.VIII.2002, 1 juv., 1 ( NTOU). — Stn CD 191, 21°41.04’N, 118°21.95’E, 1630- 1623 m, 28.VIII.2002, 1 ( NTOU).

TAIWAN 2003, stn CD 209, 24°40.69’N, 122°11.18’E, 509-522 m, 31.V.2003, 1 ( NTOU).

Philippine Islands. South China Sea, MUSORSTOM 2, stn CP 55, 13°54’N, 119°58’E, 865 m, 27.XI.1980, 1 ( MNHN-B 18169).

DISTRIBUTION. — Known from the East China Sea ( Chen 1986, as Ethusina robusta ( Miers, 1886)) , Taiwan (Ng & Ho 2002), and the Philippine Is ( Chen 1985, as E. desciscens ( Alcock, 1896)) . Depth: 509- 1649 m ( Fig. 34 ).

SIZE. — Maximum size: cl 11.6 mm, cw 11.4 mm ( NTOU); unknown.

REMARKS

Diagnostic to Ethusina chenae are slender outer orbital teeth that are slightly oriented outwardly and do not reach the frontal teeth, median frontal teeth that are shorter and less acute (usually ending in an obtuse tip) than the lateral frontal teeth, wide, shallow, nearly straight, oblique orbital sinuses, and relatively short, thick P2 and P3 ( Ng & Ho 2003: figs 6, 7; Chen 1985: figs 15, 16, as E. desciscens ( Alcock, 1896)) . Ethusina chenae is known only from females.

Ng & Ho (2003: 76) commented on the resemblance of their new species to E. robusta ( Miers, 1886) . The examination of the type material of Miers’ species, however, leaves no doubt that they are different. Unfortunately, neither Chen, Ng, nor Ho examined the type material of E. robusta .

The identity of the two specimens of E. desciscens from Japan ( Marumura & Kosaka 2003) needs to be verified.

Figures

FIG. 34. — Bathymetric distribution of Indo-West Pacific ethusine crabs.