Shinkaia crosnieri Baba & Williams, 1998

Dong, Dong & Li, Xinzheng, 2015, Galatheid and chirostylid crustaceans (Decapoda: Anomura) from a cold seep environment in the northeastern South China Sea, Zootaxa 4057 (1), pp. 91-105 : 95

Shinkaia crosnieri Baba & Williams, 1998

Munidopsis sp.— Fujikura et al., 1995: 233.

Shinkaia crosnieri Baba & Williams, 1998: 148 , figs. 1, 3–6 (type locality: Bismarck Archipelago).— Chan et al., 2000: 800, figs. 1, 2.— Watabe, 2000: 31.— Fujikura et al., 2002: 24.— Martin & Haney, 2005: 481.— Baba, 2005: 307.— Macpherson & Baba, 2006: 449.—Baba et al., 2008: 81, fig. 4I. — Baba et al., 2009: 294, figs. 267–269.

Material examined. Cold seep, ridge between continental shelf and slope, off Guangdong Province, China, southwest of Taiwan Island, northeastern South China Sea: MBM189181–189183, 119 °17.1097’E, 22°6.9524’N, 14 ovig. females (PCL 21.0– 38.5 mm), 11 females (PCL 17.5–35.2 mm), 10 males (PCL 10.4–45.9 mm), 1133 m, coll. Faxian ROV of R/V Kexue, 27 Apr. 2014; MBM189184, 119 °17.1277’E, 22°6.9304’N, 17 ovig. females (PCL 21.0– 42.6 mm), 16 females (PCL 16.0–38.0 mm), 2 males (PCL 19.8, 38.2 mm), 1160 m, coll. Faxian ROV of R/V Kexue, 16 Mar. 2014; MBM189180, 119 °17.123’E, 22°6.915’N, 1 ovig. females (PCL 23.2 mm), 6 females (PCL 7.6–17.0 mm), 2 males (PCL 7.8, 37.0 mm), 1120 m, coll. Jiaolong manned submersible of R/V Xiangyanghong 9, 18 June 2013; MBM189178, 189179, 119 °17.116’E, 22°6.948’N, 6 females (PCL 12.5–31.0 mm), 2 males (PCL 11.5, 47.2 mm), 1138 m, coll. Jiaolong manned submersible of R/V Xiangyanghong 9, 19 June 2013.

Coloration. Entirely white.

Habitat. Cold seep and hydrothermal vent environment; 600–1500 m.

Distribution. Bismarck Archipelago, southwest and northeast of Taiwan Island, and Okinawa Trough.

Remarks. The specimens correspond well with Baba & Williams’ (1998) descriptions of the type material. Baba et al. (2009) previously reported the occurrence of this species from the present locality. Photographs and videos from the site show that S. crosnieri is highly abundant, densely covering the deep-sea mussel bed, which is dominated by Bathymodiolus platifrons Hashimoto & Okutani, 1994 .