Aliaporcellana pygmaea

Osawa, Masayuki, 2007, Porcellanidae (Crustacea: Decapoda: Anomura) from New Caledonia and the Loyalty Islands, Zootaxa 1548, pp. 1-49 : 5-6

Aliaporcellana pygmaea (de Man, 1902)

( Fig. 1 )

Porcellana pygmaea de Man, 1902: 698, pl. 23, figs. 38, 38a–e (type locality: Ternate, Indonesia). Polyonyx pugilator Nobili, 1905: 161 (type locality: Persian Gulf).

Polyonyx pygmaeus .— Lewinsohn, 1969: 161, fig. 36.

Aliaporcellana pygmaea .— Nakasone & Miyake, 1969: 19.

Material examined. Loyalty Islands. Lifou Island. Santal Bay. Atelier LIFOU. St. 1459 (St. 6), Ngoni, 20°47.0’S, 167°03.0’E, 55–80 m, dredge, 13 Nov. 2000: 1 male CL 2.2 mm. St. 1446 (St. 41B), Mepinyo, 20°50.8’S, 167°09.7’E, 36–40 m, 16 Nov. 2000: 1 male CL 4.8 mm. St. 1457 (St. 67), Ngoni, 20°46.8’S, 167°02.75’E, 5–10 m, 27 Nov. 2000: 1 male CL 4.6 mm.

Remarks. Lewinsohn (1969) discussed the variations that occur in this species according to sex and increase in size of individuals.

Aliaporcellana pygmaea is distinguished from A. suluensis primary by the produced lateral lobes of the rostrum usually visible in dorsal view ( Fig. 1 A); smaller cheliped with scattered, stout, stiff setae and with the carpus and dactylus armed with slender, acute teeth on the dorsoflexor (posterior) margin ( Fig. 1 B, C); and dactyli of the ambulatory legs each with a single corneous spine on the flexor margin ( Fig. 1 D; unarmed in A.

suluensis ). These characters agree well with the original description and illustrations of Porcellana pygmaea by de Man (1902).

Aliaporcellana kikuchii Nakasone & Miyake, 1969 closely resembles A. pygmaea , but differs in having the lateral lobes of the rostrum each terminating in a small spine and dactyli of the ambulatory legs unarmed on the flexor margin (a short, corneous spine is present in A. pygmaea ).

Distribution. Red Sea, Gulf of Aden, Persian Gulf, Seychelles, Madagascar, Cargados Carajos (northeast of Mauritius), Gulf of Thailand, Java Sea, Moluccas, New Caledonia, and Loyalty Islands. Shallow water to 62 m; among sponges and antipatharians ( Haig 1983, 1989). The specimens examined were collected at depths of 5–80 m in the Loyalty Islands.

Figures

FIGURE 1. Aliaporcellana pygmaea (de Man, 1902), male, CL 4.8 mm, Loyalty Islands, St. 1446. A, carapace, and ocular and antennal peduncles, dorsal view (setae omitted from right side); B, smaller cheliped, dorsal view; C, same, chela, dorso-extensor view (setae omitted); D, left first ambulatory leg, lateral view. Scales equal 1.0 mm.