Lamarckdromia Guinot & Tavares, 2003

Mclay, Colin L. & Hosie, Andrew M., 2022, The sponge crabs of Western Australia and the Northwest Shelf with descriptions of new genera and species (Crustacea: Brachyura: Dromiidae), Zootaxa 5129 (3), pp. 301-355 : 333

Lamarckdromia Guinot & Tavares, 2003

Remarks. McLay (1993) revised the genus Dromidiopsis Borradaile, 1900 to include Dromia globosa Lamarck, 1818 , and five other species. The lectotype of Dromia globosa (MNHN B22033) consists of the dried remains of a male, CL = 21.1 mm, of unknown provenance. The recognizable fragments fit most closely with specimens labelled Dromidia excavata Stimpson, 1858 (MNHN B22041) from Sydney Harbour and were therefore believed to be synonyms. Guinot & Tavares (2003) argued that D. globosa did not belong in Dromidiopsis and erected a new genus, Lamarckdromia , for this species. The key features of Lamarckdromia are: all male abdominal segments free (last two fused in Dromidiopsis ), uropods concealed (versus uropods conspicuous), apertures of sternal grooves end between P2 (versus apertures end between P1) and uropods not used in the abdominal locking mechanism (versus uropods used to retain abdomen). The conclusion that Lamarckdromia globosa is a senior synonym of Dromidia excavata was reasonable at the time, given the fragmentary nature of the dried material, and because there was apparently only one Australian species. However, closer inspection of Australian material shows that there are two species, Dromidia excavata Stimpson, 1858 and a new species described herein as Lamarckdromia beagle sp. nov. It is not possible to say which, if any, of these two species might be synonymous with Dromia globosa so we conclude that in the absence of more intact specimens of this species it is best to resurrect the name Dromidia excavata and conclude that there are three species in Lamarckdromia . Morphological features of the species are compared in 2.