Calliaxina punica (de Saint Laurent & Manning, 1982 ) Ngoc-Ho, 2003

Ngoc-Ho, Nguyen, 2003, European and Mediterranean Thalassinidea (Crustacea, Decapoda), Zoosystema 25 (3), pp. 439-555 : 496-498

Calliaxina punica (de Saint Laurent & Manning, 1982) n. comb.

( Figs 19 ; 20 )

Calliax punica de Saint Laurent & Manning, 1982: 211 , figs 1-6. — Thessalou-Legaki 1986: 183. — ° Froglia 1995: 7. — Falciai & Minervini 1996: 145, 3 figs. — d’Udekem d’Acoz 1996: 58; 1999: 155. — Tudge et al. 2000: 156.

Paraglypturus punica – Sakai 1999a: 122. — ° Türkay 2001: 289. — Noël 2002: 240.

Calliax sp. – de Saint Laurent & Božić 1976: 29, figs 8, 16, 24, 35.

TYPE MATERIAL. — Holotype: from Gulf of Tunis, Tunisia, R. B. Manning coll., 27.I.1973 ( USNM 172539 ); paratypes: same locality and collector, 26.IV.1973, 2 juv. ( MNHN Th 563); R. B. Manning and M. L. Jones coll., 16.VIII.1973, 6, 4 poor condition ( MNHN Th 565).

MATERIAL EXAMINED. — France. Le Brusc, Var, muddy sand, 0.5 m, P. Noël coll., 14.XI.1997, 1 cl. 11 mm, tl. 40 mm (figured) ( MNHN Th 1402).

Mediterranean (probably). Collection Sollaud ES 27, no date, 1 cl. 13 mm, tl. 42 mm approx. (abdomen broken) (figured) (MNHN Th 1355).

Greece. NW Kreta, northern part of Ormos Livadi, C. d’Udekem d’Acoz coll., 9.VII.1987, 1 ovig. cl. 9 mm, tl. 39 mm ( MNHN Th 1403).

Tunisia. Gulf of Tunis, Salammbô, muddy sand, 0.5- 1 m, R. B. Manning coll., 26.IV.1973, 2 juv. paratypes, cl. 3 and 3.5 mm, tl. 12 and 12.5 mm ( MNHN Th 563). — Korbous, between Sidi Rais and Ain Kotor, in sea grass, about 0.5 m, R. B. Manning and M. L. Jones coll., 16.VIII.1973, 6, 4 paratypes tl. 12-26 mm poor condition ( MNHN Th 565). — Gulf of Tunis, R. B. Manning coll., no date, 2 juv. cl. 3 and 4 mm ( MNHN Th 562); 30. V.1973, 1 cl. 6.5 mm ( MNHN Th 564). OTHER MATERIAL EXAMINED. — Calliaxina sakaii (de Saint Laurent, 1979) n. comb., Japan, Tomioka, western Kyushu, 1 holotype ( MNHN Th 312); 1 paratype ( MNHN Th 311). — Paraglypturus calderus Türkay & Sakai, 1995 , Marianas, N Rim of Esmeralda Caldera, 6, 5 (3 ovig.) paratypes ( SMF 22950). — Paraglypturus tooradin ( Poore & Griffin, 1979) , Western Port, Victoria, Australia, 2 juv. paratypes ( NMV J 302), 1 paratype ( NMV J 303).

DISTRIBUTION. — Mediterranean: S of France; Tunis, Sardinia, Naples (de Saint Laurent & Manning 1982), Ionian and Aegean seas (Thessalou-Legaki 1986), W of Kreta (d’Udekem d’Acoz 1996).

DIAGNOSIS

Details added to diagnosis for the genus: rostrum broadly triangular with pointed tip, not reaching middle of eyestalks ( Fig. 19A, E ). Second abdominal segment largest, lateral tufts of setae on segments 3-5 ( Fig. 19B ). Telson ( Fig. 19D ) approximately 1.2 times as wide as long, posterior border straight in median part.

Eyestalk larger and more prominent in juvenile than in adult. Mandible ( Fig. 19L ) incisor process with sharp teeth. Mx1 ( Fig. 20A ) and Mx2 ( Fig. 20B ) as figured. Mxp1 ( Fig. 20C ) endopod elongate, epipod large, tapering distally. Mxp2 ( Fig. 20D ) exopod overreaching merus of endopod; bilobed epipod and single arthrobranch present. Mxp3 ( Fig. 19J, K ) ischium-merus length less than twice merus width (more slender in small specimens of tl. <20-25 mm), mesial ridge of ischium with nine or 10 spinules; dactylus rounded, slightly longer than wide; exopod present, reaching mid-length of merus in adult, smaller in juvenile.

P1 equal and similar ( Fig. 19C ), lower border of ischium and proximal lower border of merus with tubercles or denticles; carpus and propodus unarmed, lower border weakly heeled, propodus with elongate depression near base of fixed finger, cutting edge of latter bearing large triangular tooth near base or near mid length; dactylus approximately as long as palm, unarmed. P2 ( Fig. 19F ) merus with long setae on lateral surface. P3-P5 ( Fig. 19 G-I) and uropods ( Fig. 19D ) as diagnosed for the genus.

Colour

Orange-red on body and distal part of P1 from carpus onwards (specimen from Le Brusc, Var; Noël pers. comm.) (de Saint Laurent & Manning 1982). The body is sometimes whitish and pereopods pure white (d’Udekem d’Acoz 1996).

Size

Specimens can reach large size, up to 65 mm in total length (ovigerous from Tunis, according to de Saint Laurent & Manning 1982). The types comprise however mostly juveniles or small specimens. Other material examined includes specimens of medium size: cl. 11 mm, tl. 40 mm.

ECOLOGY

This species lives in sand or muddy sand with or without seagrass, between 0.25- 1 m depth (de Saint Laurent & Manning 1982 and present material).

REMARKS

Calliaxina punica n. comb. often shares the same habitat with Pestarella tyrrhena n. comb. whose coloration is similar (de Saint Laurent & Manning 1982). In the field, separation between the two is only easy when the P1 are present: these are equal in the former species, distinctly unequal in the latter.

Family CTENOCHELIDAE Manning & Felder, 1991

Figures

FIG. 19. — Calliaxina punica (de Saint Laurent & Manning, 1982) n. comb.; A, paratype, from Gulf of Tunis, Tunisia, carapace, dorsal view (from de Saint Laurent & Manning 1982); B-L, from Le Brusc, France (MNHN Th 1402); B, lateral view, pereopod 1 and 5 omitted; C, pereopod 1; D, telson and uropods; E, anterior part of carapace; F-I, pereopod 2-4 and distal part of pereopod 5; J, K, maxilliped 3 and mesial view of ischium, merus, carpus; L, mandible. Scale bars: A, C-K, 1 mm; B, 2 mm; L, 0.5 mm.

FIG. 20. — A-I, Calliaxina punica (de Saint Laurent & Manning, 1982) n. comb.; A-G, from Le Brusc, France (MNHN Th 1402); A, B, maxillule and maxilla; C, D, maxilliped 1 and 2; E, F, female pleopod 1 and 2; G, pleopod 3; H, I, from Mediterranean? (MNHN Th 1355), male pleopod 1 and 2; J, Calliaxina sakaii (de Saint Laurent, 1979) n. comb., holotype, from Tomioka,Japan (MNHN Th 312), male pleopod 1; K-Q, Paraglypturus calderus Türkay & Sakai,1995,paratype, from Marianas (SMF 22950); K, L, maxilliped 3 and 2; M, N, male pleopod 1 and 2; O, P, female pleopod 1 and 2; Q, pleopod 3. Scale bars: A, B, L-P, 0.5 mm; C-K, Q, 1 mm.