Ethusina taiwanensis 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 : 577-578

Ethusina taiwanensis Ng & Ho, 2003

Ethusina taiwanensis Ng & Ho, 2003: 72 , figs 2, 3.

? Ethusina desciscens – Chen 1986:136, fig.15. — Chen & Sun 2002: 251, fig. 108 (not E. desciscens ( Alcock, 1896)) .

? Ethusina descisces [sic] – Chen 1998: 234 (not E. desciscens ( Alcock, 1896)) .

TYPE MATERIAL. — Holotype: cl 8.7 mm, cw 8.5 mm, TAIWAN 2000, stn CP 61 ( NTOU); paratype: cl 9.0 mm, cw 8.1 mm, TAIWAN 2001, stn CD 129 ( ZRC 2003.0230 ).

TYPE LOCALITY. — Taiwan, off northwestern coast, 24°47.5’N, 122°17.4’E, 1134 m.

MATERIAL EXAMINED. — Japan. Honshu, SW of Shionomisaki, Kii Peninsula, 33°23.9’N, 135°38.9’E, 700 m, 2.X.1997, 1 ( CBM-ZC 3871).

Taiwan. TAIWAN 2000, stn CP 61, 24°47.5’N, 122°17.4’E, 1134 m, 4.VIII.2000, 1 holotype ( NTOU).

TAIWAN 2001, stn CD 129, 22°05.89’N, 121°05.21’E, 1275 m, 21.VIII.2001, 1 paratype ( ZRC 2003.0230).

TAIWAN 2002, stn CD 192, 22°17.19’N, 120°01.01’E, 2800- 1302 m, 28.VIII.2002, 1 ( MNHN-B 28828).

DISTRIBUTION. — Known from Taiwan ( Ng & Ho 2003) and now from Japan. Depth: 700-1302 m ( Fig. 34 ).

SIZE. — Maximum size: cl 8.7 mm, cw 8.5 mm (NTOU), unknown.

REMARKS

Ethusina taiwanensis is known only from four male specimens. Diagnostic are very slender, acutely triangular outer orbital teeth that are directed outwardly but that do not reach the frontal teeth ( Ng & Ho 2003: figs 2, 3A) and relatively short and thick legs.

Specimens from the East China and South China seas referred to as E. desciscens ( Alcock, 1896) , by Chen (1986: 135, fig. 15; 1998: 234 as E. descisces [sic]) and Chen & Sun (2002: 251, fig. 108) are probably identical to E. taiwanensis ( Ng & Ho 2003: 74; see Remarks of E. desciscens above).

Figures

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