Petrolisthes tomentosus (Dana, 1852)

Porcellana tomentosa Dana, 1852: 420 (type locality: Tuamotu); 1855: pl. 26, fig. 10. Petrolisthes tomentosus .— Stimpson, 1858: 227 (list).— Kropp, 1986: 453, fig. 1. Porcellana penicillata Heller, 1865: 79 (type locality: Nicobars).

Porcellana villosa Richers, 1880: 160, pl. 17, figs. 11,12 (type locality: Mauritius). Petrolisthes penicillatus .— Miyake, 1942: 347, text-figs. 11, 12.

Material examined. New Caledonia. Kuendu Beach, lagoon, 22°23’S, 166°32’E, 31 m, 5 May 1996, coll. B. Richer de Forges, 1 male CL 2.9 mm. Amédée, lagoon, low tide, 17 Sep. 1978, coll. C. Vadon, 1 male CL 7.2 mm, 2 ovig. females CL 6.4, 7.0 mm. Platier de Thio, St Gabriel, lagoon, low tide, 0.8 m, 19 May 1996, coll. B. Richer de Forges, 1 female CL 4.3 mm.

Remarks. The neotype of this species was selected by Kropp (1986) for an ovigerous female specimen collected from Tahiti. The taxonomy of P. tomentosus and its close relative, P. pubescens, is fully discussed by Kropp (1986).

Distribution. Indian Ocean: from Somalia and Madagascar to Western Australia; Pacific: from Taiwan and Palau to Tuamotu Archipelago; low intertidal to 11 m; under rocks, on dead corals or on the bases of living corals (Haig 1983, as P. penicillatus; Kropp 1986). The specimens examined from New Caledonia were collected at depths of 0.8– 31 m.