Parapagurus nudus (A. Milne-Edwards, 1891)

De Matos-Pita, Susana S. & Ramil, Fran, 2015, Hermit crabs (Decapoda: Crustacea) from deep Mauritanian waters (NW Africa) with the description of a new species, Zootaxa 3926 (2), pp. 151-190 : 182

Parapagurus nudus (A. Milne-Edwards, 1891)

( Fig. 20 )

Sympagurus nudus A. Milne-Edwards, 1891: 131 .

Parapagurus nudus .— Lemaitre, 1986: 533, figs. 1A, B, 2A–E, 4A, B, 5A, B, 6G, H, 7B, F, 8A–C, 9A, B.— Lemaitre, 1989: 24, figs. 5B, C, 10, 11, 12 (lit.).— Cardoso & Lemaitre, 2012: 594, figs. 3C, D. Parapagurus pilosimanus .— García Raso, 1996: 739 (In part).

Material examined. MU75, 1688– 1659 m, (1); MU116, 1685– 1680 m, (1).

Male: 6.24 mm, female: 7.18 mm

Habitat. The species was reported on muddy sand bottoms (A. Milne-Edwards 1891).

Lemaitre (1989) reported this species usually without symbionts, but Williams & McDermott (2004) reported that it was not uncommon to find the species associated with actinians or zoanthids.

Our specimens were found on muddy and muddy sand bottoms, in shells of Tonna galea (Linnaeus, 1758) and another unidentified gastropod shell deeply damaged during the extraction of the hermit crab, with one unidentified actinian attached to the shell.

Distribution. Eastern Atlantic: the Azores, Canary and Cape Verde Islands and Gulf of Guinea; western Atlantic from off Nantucket Island (Massachusetts, USA) to Guyana (S America) ( Lemaitre 1986, 1989); the species was also reported on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge (about 4°00'S) ( Cardoso & Lemaitre 2012). Depth range is between 630 and 3864 m ( Lemaitre 1990).

Our specimens come from around 1680 m, at similar depths to those from the Azores (A. Milne-Edwards 1891) and the Ibero-Moroccan Gulf ( Türkay 1976).

Remarks. Our specimens match the descriptions and figures given by Lemaitre (1986, 1989) and Cardoso & Lemaitre (2012). The Parapagurus nudus males resemble Parapagurus alaminos Lemaitre, 1986 , but can be easily distinguished by the absence of numerous small sharp tubercles on the dorsal surface of the left cheliped carpus. The variations on the carpus and the chela of the right cheliped and the exopod of the left uropod observed in our material, for both males and females, concur with those described by Lemaitre (1986). The telson armature is similar to that figured by Cardoso & Lemaitre (2012: fig. 3D)

Figures

FIGURE 20. Parapagurus nudus (A. Milne-Edwards, 1891). Male, sl: 6.24 mm (MU 116; UVIGOBA 3 03877): A, shield and cephalic appendages. B, chelipeds: left, dorsomesial view, right lateral view. Scale: A, 1 mm; B, 5 mm.