Ranininae De Haan, 1839

Van Bakel, Barry W. M., Guinot, Danièle, Artal, Pedro, Fraaije, René H. B. & Jagt, John W. M., 2012, A revision of the Palaeocorystoidea and the phylogeny of raninoidian crabs (Crustacea, Decapoda, Brachyura, Podotremata) 3215, Zootaxa 3215 (1), pp. 1-216 : 89-90

Subfamily Ranininae De Haan, 1839

Ranininae De Haan, 1839 : 102.

Raninellidae Beurlen, 1930: 363 .

Ranininae — Serène & Umali 1972: 34.

Type genus. Ranina Lamarck, 1801 .

Genera included. Lophoranina Fabiani, 1910 , Lophoraninella Glaessner, 1945 , Ranina Lamarck, 1801 , Raninella A. Milne Edwards, 1862 , Remyranina Schweitzer & Feldmann, 2010a and Vegaranina n. gen.

Diagnosis. Carapace large, wide, broadened anteriorly with wide teeth. Dorsal surface granular, with flattened inclined nodes, scabrous or terraced; branchiocardiac grooves present. Rostrum triangular, pointed, subtrapezoidal or trifid. Anterolateral margin armed immediately behind extraorbital tooth with wide teeth, single or consisting of 3 or 4 protruding processes, may be sexually dimorphic. Posterolateral margins rimmed. Orbitofrontal margin wide. Supraorbital margin with 2 deep fissures, may be armed with teeth. Orbits directed anteriorly, relatively wide. Eyestalk composed of 3 articulated, calcified articles, bent at angles to one another when retracted into orbit. Both antennules, antennae modified for respiratory currents. Antennule not folded: basal article expanded distally into flabelliform lobe, concave internally; within larger passage formed by antennae, formation of antennulary cleft or passage serving as conduit for exhalant stream of water. Proepistome well developed, ovate. Antenna inserted somewhat below antennule, inclined inwards, short, thick, with reduced flagellum; article 1 with triangular apex directed anteriorly, urinal opening placed to its dorsal side; articles 2, 3 fused but with suture still visible, lying directly in front of subantennary lobe of pterygostome; article 3 well developed, forming lobe projecting anteriorly as far as article 4, forming ventral, internal walls of orbital cavity; article 4 flabelliform, with concave internal surface; article 5 small; flagellum rudimentary. Inhalant chamber bounded laterally by concave surface of eyestalk, ventrally by mxp3 merus, dorsally by mxp1 exopod.

Subantennary lobe of pterygostome short but well defined. Mxp3 operculiform, elongated, merus shorter than ischium. Pleurites 5‒7 largely exposed, forming excavated, concave plate. Sternum/pterygostome junction developed, connections between sternum, exposed pleurites normal or large between P1, P2, much narrower between P2, P3. Thoracic sternum strongly deflected at different levels. Sternite 3 crown shaped; sternite 4 distinctly wide, flat; suture 4/5 deep, short, crescent shaped; sternite 5 generally with foliaceous expansions; sternite 6 linear, especially between P3 coxae, of considerable depth; sternite 7 similarly narrow, strongly bent, deep vertically; sternite 8 deep vertically, perpendicular to sternite 7. Medial line along sternites 6‒8. Anterior part of sternite 7 showing elongated, deep, medial depression; its bottom with longitudinal apertures of the spermathecae.

Chelipeds strong, homochelous, homodontous; arthrodial cavities large, placed laterally. Basis-ischium short, immoveably fused with long merus. Propodus large, flattened; upper, lower margins armed with long, sharp spines; dactylus spinose on dorsal margin, nearly at right angles against anterior border of palm; fixed finger short; prehensile borders of both fingers with teeth closely joining alternatively.

P2–P5 robust, broad. P2, P3 arthrodial cavities almost ventral; those of P4 subdorsal, P5 dorsal. Upper margin of carpus, propodus markedly carinate. Carpus flattened, propodus, dactylus extensively flattened. Dactylus leaf shaped, falciform, more enlarged on P3, P5. P5 not reduced, nearly similar in size, shape to preceding pereiopods, but dorsal in position, fitting lateral border of carapace.

Sterno-abdominal cavity absent. Abdomen short, freely articulated, 6 articles plus small telson, incompletely folded, first articles dorsal, wide in male, not much enlarged in female, thus sexual dimorphism relatively indistinct with regard to size; uropods or sockets absent.

Large posterior branchial orifices present.