Hiplyra sagitta, Galil, 2009

Galil, Bella S., 2009, An examination of the genus Philyra Leach, 1817 (Crustacea, Decapoda, Leucosiidae) with descriptions of seven new genera and six new species, Zoosystema 31 (2), pp. 279-320 : 296-297

Hiplyra sagitta n. sp.

( Figs 11 ; 12A )

Philyra platychira – Alcock 1896: 242.

Philyra platycheir – Tirmizi & Kazmi 1988: 100, fig. 29.

TYPE MATERIAL. — Holotype: Persian Gulf. Boushir, 7 m, 18.III.1937, coll. G. Thorson, 1 ♂ cl 13.9 mm ( ZMK 4263 ).

Paratypes: same data, 1 ♂ cl 13.3 mm, 1 ovig. ♀ cl 12.1 mm ( ZMK 4263).

Kuwait. 29°11’N 48°29’E, 12.5-16 m, 20.III-17. V.1972, coll. H. Motoh, 1 ♂ cl 16.0 mm cl, 1 ovig. ♀ cl 17.2 mm ( NSMT 4500).

Andamans. 1 ♂ cl 14.9 mm, pres. University College Dundee (NHM 1955.5.3.27).

ETYMOLOGY. — From the Latin sagitta , arrow, for the arrow-shaped trough distally on the male fused abdominal segments.

DISTRIBUTION. — Known from the Persian Gulf, India and the Andaman Sea.

DESCRIPTION

Dorsal surface of carapace anteriorly punctuate, finely granulate, minutely granulate on branchial, gastric, cardiac and intestinal regions. Hepatic region slightly tumescent. Branchio-cardiac grooves shallow. Front produced, with shallow median cleavage.Anterior margin of efferent channel straight, separated from minutely beaded lateral margin by triangular incision, lateral margin nearly reaching as far forward as anterior margin. Upper, lower margins of subhepatic facet granulate, granules anteriorly on upper margin nearly effaced. Lateral margin of carapace posteriorly to subhepatic facet closely beaded, granules smaller posteriorly. Epimeral surface minutely granulate; epimeral margin minutely beaded. Sternum delicately granulate anteriorly. Anterior margin of abdominal sulcus prominently granulate. Margins of fused male abdominal segments 2-6 distally carinate. Margins of fused abdominal segments in female minutely granulate. Cheliped merus 0.85 as long as carapace in male; its surface minutely granulate, anteriorly granulate. Upper surface of propodus minutely granulate, lower margin bearing line of prominent granules, line of granules proximally on inner lower margin. Dactyl shorter than upper margin of propodus, sickle-shaped, its inner margin smooth. Pollex bearing two triangular denticles distally.Male first pleopod with short apical process.

REMARKS

Hiplyra sagitta n. sp. differs from its congeners in having anterior margin of efferent channel separated from lateral margin by triangular incision, and the margins of the fused male abdominal segments 2-6 distally carinate, forming an arrow-shaped groove. Alcock (1896: 242, 243) mentions in his description both the “edge of the epistome deeply cleft just below the eye” and the “sixth tergum demarcated by a deep groove”, but since he lacked comparative material he assumed his specimens were indistinct from De Haan’s Japanese H. platycheir n. comb. Tirmizi & Kazmi (1988: fig. 29b, b’) drawings accurately depict the triangular groove distally on the fused abdominal segments of the male.

Figures

FIG. 11. — Hiplyra sagitta n. sp., holotype, ♂ cl 13.9 mm, Persian Gulf, Boushir (ZMK 4263): A, dorsal view; B, ventral view.

FIG. 12. — A-D, first male pleopod,distal end of first male pleopod;A, Hiplyra sagitta n. sp., ♂ holotype cl 13.9 mm, Persian Gulf (ZMK 4263); B, Lyphira heterograna (Ortmann, 1892) n. comb., ♂ cl 15.1 mm, Indonesia (NHM 1900.10.22.340-45); C, Lyphira perplexa n. sp.,♂ cl 27.9 mm, India (USNM 337607);D, Pyrhila pisum (De Haan,1841) n. comb., ♂ cl 22.6 mm, Japan (USNM 18865);E, Pyrhila carinata (Bell, 1855) n. comb., ♂ cl 13.2 mm, China (NHM 1874.2), first male pleopod, dorsal and ventral views; F, Pyrhila biprotubera (Dai & Guan, 1986) n. comb., ♂ cl 20.5 mm, Vietnam (Chiba Inst. 5841), first male pleopod, distal end of first male pleopod, second male pleopod. Scale bars: 1 mm.