Rathbunaja brevipes, Ng & Forges, 2015

Ng, Peter K. L. & Forges, Bertrand Richer De, 2015, Revision of the spider crab genus Maja Lamarck, 1801 (Crustacea: Brachyura: Majoidea: Majidae), with descriptions of seven new genera and 17 new species from the Atlantic and Indo-West Pacific, Raffles Bulletin of Zoology 63, pp. 110-225 : 216

publication ID	https://doi.org/ 10.5281/zenodo.5384590
publication LSID	lsid:zoobank.org:pub:40BCDD62-D35E-46D1-95A3-2CC0DF219DEE
DOI	https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.5466831
persistent identifier	https://treatment.plazi.org/id/DF0A66E2-5D94-4DD2-9CBE-FDD6C14A0450
taxon LSID	lsid:zoobank.org:act:DF0A66E2-5D94-4DD2-9CBE-FDD6C14A0450
treatment provided by	Valdenar
scientific name	Rathbunaja brevipes
status	sp. nov.

Treatment

Rathbunaja brevipes View in CoL n. sp.

( Figs. 59F View Fig , 62 View Fig , 64D View Fig , 67E–G View Fig )

Material examined. Holotype: male (24.0 × 18.4 mm) (MNHN-IU-2011-2408), station DW 3719, 6°03’S 14°36’E, 410 m, Papua New Guinea, coll. RV Alis , BIOPAPUA, 7 October 2010. GoogleMaps

Diagnosis. Carapace relatively narrow ( Figs. 59F View Fig , 62A View Fig ). Pseudorostral spines short, weakly diverging, almost subparallel ( Fig. 59F View Fig ). Median row with 2 median gastric spines; 2 cardiac spines; 3 intestinal spines ( Fig. 59F View Fig ). Basal antennal article with 2 relatively short distal spines not strongly diverging ( Fig. 62B View Fig ). Ischium of third maxilliped proportionately shorter ( Fig. 62C View Fig ). Ambulatory legs (notably merus and propodus) short ( Figs. 59F View Fig , 62D–G View Fig ). Male telson subtriangular ( Fig. 64D View Fig ). G1 with distal part distinctly curved, dorsal fold low ( Fig. 67E–G View Fig ).

Etymology. The species is named after its relatively short ambulatory legs. Used as a noun in apposition.

Remarks. Rathbunaja brevipes n. sp. is perhaps closest to R. kiiensis but can easily be distinguished by possessing relatively much shorter pseudorostral spines ( Figs. 59F View Fig , 62A View Fig versus Fig. 59C–E View Fig ); a relatively larger and broader intercalated spine ( Figs. 59F View Fig , 62A View Fig ) (more triangular and sharper in R. kiiensis , Fig. 59C–E View Fig ); proportionately shorter lateral carapace spines ( Fig. 59F View Fig versus Fig. 59C–E View Fig ); and shorter ambulatory legs, especially the merus, which also has a relatively weaker distal dorsal spine ( Figs. 59F View Fig , 62D–G View Fig versus Figs. 59C–E View Fig , 65F View Fig ). Interestingly, the G1 structures of the two species ( Figs. 67E–G View Fig , 66H–M View Fig ) are very similar. The ambulatory legs of R. brevipes are also shorter than those on R. bisarmata ( Figs. 59F View Fig , 62D–G View Fig versus Figs. 59A, B View Fig , 65B, D View Fig ).