Heterochelamon Türkay & Dai, 1997

Naruse, Tohru, Zhu, Chunchao & Zhou, Xianmin, 2013, Two new species of freshwater crabs of the genus Heterochelamon Türkay & Dai, 1997 (Crustacea: Decapoda: Brachyura: Potamidae) from Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, southern China, Zootaxa 3647 (4), pp. 567-576 : 568

Heterochelamon Türkay & Dai, 1997

Heterochelamon Türkay & Dai, 1997: 197 —Dai 1999: 416—Ng et al. 2008: 162. Heterchelamon [sic]—Dai 1999: 416.

Remarks. It is necessary to clarify the identity of “ Heterochelamon purpureomanualis ” recorded by Türkay & Dai (1997). The species was originally described from Loshing, Kwangsi Province (= Luocheng, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region) as Potamon (Geothelphusa) purpureomanualis by Wu (1934). Türkay & Dai (1997) subsequently recorded the species from Xiushui County, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region.

Türkay & Dai’s (1997) photograph and drawings of “ H. purpureomanualis ”, however, differ from the original description by Wu (1934) in the shapes of the external orbital tooth (triangular in Türkay & Dai 1997: pl. 1, fig. 5; acutely triangular, with pointed tip in Wu 1934: fig. 2), epibranchial tooth (low and small in Türkay & Dai 1997: pl. 1, fig. 5; distinct and pointed in Wu 1934: fig. 2) and G1 (rather stout, with thick and straight distal segment in Türkay & Dai 1997: fig. 4–4, 4–5; slender, slightly sinuous, with bent tip of distal segment in Wu 1934: fig. 2). Because Türkay & Dai’s (1997) specimen clearly differs morphologically from congeners, including the two new species described in this study, it is most probably representing an undescribed species. Our attempts to find Türkay & Dai’s (1997) specimens as well as the type specimens of H. purpureomanualis in the Institute of Zoology (IOZ), Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Beijing, failed. Dai (1999) also recorded “ H. purpureomanualis ” from Yaoshan, Xiuren, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. This lot of specimens has not been found as well. Both Türkay & Dai (1997) and Dai (1999) noted that they examined “ 20 males (including 1 juvenile) and 23 females (including 5 juveniles), collected in 1938”. The specimens examined by them are most probably a same lot. It is, however, uncertain whether Xiushui or Xiuren is a correct locality for their specimens.