Munida flinti Benedict, 1902

Schmidt, Gustavo A. & Melo-Filho, De, 2008, Specimens of Galatheidae (Crustacea: Decapoda) collected by N. Pq. “ Soloncy Moura ” off the Southern Coast of Brazil under the Revizee Program, Zootaxa 1841, pp. 31-42 : 35

Munida flinti Benedict, 1902

Munida Stimpsoni. — A. Milne-Edwards, 1880: 47 [part.]; A. Milne-Edwards & Bouvier 1897: 48 [part.], pl. 4, fig. 1. Munida stimpsoni. — Henderson 1888: 126, pl. 14, fig. 1; Moreira 1901: 83; Coelho & Ramos 1972: 172; Coelho et al. 1990: 25.

Munida flinti Benedict, 1902: 258 , fig. 9; Chace 1942: 57; Springer & Bullis 1956: 15; Pequegnat & Pequegnat 1970: 130; Takeda 1983: 87; Melo-Filho & Melo 1992b: 765, figs. 15–16; 1997: 193, fig. 2, a–f; Melo-Filho 1998: 394; Melo 1999: 182, fig. 111; Melo-Filho 1999: 390, fig. 9; Melo-Filho & Melo 2001a: 1180, figs. 3, 4; 2001b: 1146, figs. 10, 11; 2001c: 43; Melo-Filho 2006: 7, fig. 2 tabs. 1, 2.

Material Examined. Gulf of Mexico: USS “Albatross”, st. 2404, 108 m, off the Mississippi Delta, 1885, 1 ex. ( USNM 9778, lectotype). Caribbean Sea: USS “Blake”, st. 262, 166 m, Grenada, 1 ex. ( MCZ 2821, syntype of the M. stimpsoni ). Brazil: São Paulo – N. Pq. “Soloncy Moura”: st. 1123, 149 m, 4 ex. ( MZUSP 15357). Paraná – N. Pq. “Soloncy Moura”: st. 419, 200 m, 1 ex. ( MZUSP 15356); st. 1019, 201 m, 3 ex. ( MZUSP 15352); st. 1020, 152 m, 6 ex. ( MZUSP 15358). Santa Catarina – N. Pq. “Soloncy Moura”: st. 1012, 390 m, 1 ex. ( MZUSP 15353).

Recognition characters. Carapace with arched margins. Outer orbital spine followed by 4 small lateral spines. Gastric area with 2 pairs of spines behind supraocular spines: 1 well-developed epigastric pair, and another, smaller protogastric pair. One parahepatic spine on each side of carapace, forming hexagon with preceding spines. Anterior hepatic and branchial areas unarmed. One small postcervical spine on each side. One spine on mesocardiac sulcus. Posterior margin of carapace with 1 pair of spines. Transverse lineae continuous, indistinct, with regularly spaced cilia. Abdominal tergites 2, 3 and 4 with anterior margin armed. Tergite 4 with posterior margin unarmed or, more rarely, armed with 1 spine. Peduncle of antennule with 1 inner terminal spine little longer than outer spine. Lateral margin with 2 spines of average development. Peduncle of antenna with small outer distal spine on segment 2. Remaining segments unarmed. Third maxilliped with strong spine at middle of ventral (flexor) margin of merus.

Distribution. Western Atlantic: Gulf of Mexico (north and south coasts), Lesser Antilles ( Grenada), Guiana, Brazil (Alagoas, Espírito Santo, Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo, Paraná, Santa Catarina, Rio Grande do Sul) and Uruguay (to the north of the Rio de la Plata). Between 11 and 315 meters depth; a single specimen was collected at 630 meters depth by the HMS “Challenger” (Melo-Filho & Melo, 1992).