Raphidopus persicus Ng, Safaie & Naser, 2012

Al-Kandari, Manal, Anker, Arthur, Hussain, Sumaiah, Al-Yassen, Sharifa, Sattari, Zainab & Grave, Sammy De, 2020, New records of decapod crustaceans from Kuwait (Malacostraca: Decapoda), Zootaxa 4803 (2), pp. 251-280 : 270-274

Raphidopus persicus Ng, Safaie & Naser, 2012

( Fig. 14 A–C)

Raphidopus persicus Ng et al., 2012: 54 , figs. 1, 2.

Raphidopus indicus . — Haig 1966: 62, fig. 6; Apel 2001: 43; Naderloo & Türkay 2012: 22 (not Raphidopus indicus Henderson, 1893 ).

(?) Raphidopus sp.—Al-Yamani et al. 2012: 302, pl. 315.

Material examined. Kuwait: 1 female, OUMNH. ZC. 2020.01.043, Failaka Island , 29°23.409’N 48° 23.927’E, muddy intertidal, muddy pools at low tide, suction (yabby) pump, in burrow, leg. A Anker, 03.x.2019 [fcn KUW- 084] ; 4 females, OUMNH. ZC. 2020.01.044, same collection details [fcn KUW-074] ; 1 female, KISR, Failaka Island , eastern side, shallow subtidal flat partly exposed at low tide (0–0.3 m), sand-mud, suction (yabby) pump, in burrow of Listriolobus cf. brevirostris Chen & Yeh, 1958, leg. A. Anker, 12.ii.2020 [fcn FA-010], host preserved [fcn FA-011] ; 1 male, 1 female, MNHN-IU-2019-3188, Failaka Island , eastern side, shallow subtidal flat partly exoposed at low tide (0–0.3 m), sand-mud, suction (yabby) pump, in burrow of Listriolobus cf. brevirostris, leg. A. Anker, 12.ii.2020 [fcn FA-014], host preserved [fcn FA-015] ; 1 male, MNHN-IU-2019-3181, Failaka Island , eastern side, shallow subtidal flat at low tide (0–0.3 m), sand-mud, suction (yabby) pump, in burrow, leg. A. Anker, 12.ii.2020 [fcn FA-016] .

General distribution. Only known from the Arabian Gulf ( Iran, Iraq, Kuwait) and possibly Pakistan.

Ecology. Intertidal and subtidal, down to 19 m; muddy bottoms; all Kuwaiti specimens were collected from burrows in a muddy intertidal area (see also Remarks below).

Remarks. This species might be endemic to the Arabian Gulf, where it has been previously confused with the presumably closely related R. indicus Henderson, 1893 ( Ng et al. 2012). The Kuwaiti material, although composed exclusively of females, agrees well with the type material, including the armature on the merus and carpus of the chelipeds. All Kuwaiti specimens ( Fig.14 A–C) were collected with a suction pump from burrows in mud or muddy sand; three of them (one male-female pair and one single individual) were associated with a thalassematid echiuran, Listriolobus cf. brevirostris ( Fig. 14D ).

Figures

FIGURE 14. Raphidopus persicus Ng, Safaie & Naser, 2012: A—male from Failaka Island, Kuwait (MNHN-IU-2019-3188), dorsal view; B, C—two females from the same locality (OUMNH.ZC. 2020.01.043/044), dorsal view; D—Listriolobus cf. brevirostris Chen & Yeh, 1958, host of the male shown in (A). Photographs by A. Anker.