Galathea mauritiana Bouvier, 1914

Macpherson, Enrique & Cleva, Régis, 2010, Shallow-water squat lobsters (Crustacea, Decapoda, Galatheidae) from Mayotte (Comoros Island), La Réunion and Madagascar, with the description of a new genus and two new species, Zootaxa 2612, pp. 57-68 : 59

Galathea mauritiana Bouvier, 1914

( Figs. 3 C, D)

Galathea mauritiana Bouvier, 1914: 5 . — Baba et al. 2008: 73 (compilation). — Baba et al. 2009: 115, figs. 94–117 ( Taiwan).

Material examined. Mayotte. Stn 12 a, reef La Prévoyante, 12 ° 41 ' 34.70 "S, 45 °09' 59.99 "E, 6–11 m, J.-M. Bouchard, V. Dinhut, J. Dumas coll., 0 6 November 2009, coral bottom with Acropora , 1 ov. F 3.2 mm (MNHN-Ga 7335). — Stn 14, Banc de La Prudente, 12 ° 38 ' 50.68 "S, 44 ° 58 ' 41.93 "E, 15–17 m, J.-M. Bouchard, V. Dinhut, J. Dumas coll., 0 9 November 2009, coral boulders on sand bottom, 1 M 3.8 mm (MNHN-Ga 7336). — Stn 17, North Reef, 12 ° 34 ' 49.93 "S, 45 °05' 52.62 "E, 22 m, J.-M. Bouchard, V. Dinhut, J. Dumas coll., 10 November 2009, outer reef, coral boulders on sand bottom, 2 M 3.4–4.2 mm, 2 ov. F 2.2–2.7 mm (MNHN- Ga 7337).

Madagascar. Nosy Be, off Lokobe reserve, seagrass, 13 º 28.834 'S, 48 º 18.336 'E, 1–3 m, 16 May 2008, 1 ov. F 3.6 mm (UF 14334).

Coloration. Base color reddish or brownish, with dark and light transverse lines. P 1–4 sometimes with reddish longitudinal lines, and scatterd reddish or greenish and whitish spots; distal portion of P 1 palm and proximal part of P 1 fingers whitish; dark blue spot on the dorsodistal part of P 1 palm.

Distribution. Widely distributed in the Indo-West Pacific, from the eastern coast of Africa, including Mauritius (type locality) and Madagascar, to Japan, Indonesia, New Guinea, Loyalty Islands, Fiji Islands, and French Polynesia. The species is usually found on corals, rocks and seagrasses, from 0 to 48 m. The present material, from Mayotte and Madagascar, was caught at 1– 13 m.