Sympagurus trispinosus ( Balss, 1911 (Balss, 1911)

Lemaitre, R., 1996, Hermit crabs of the family Parapaguridae (Crustacea: Decapoda: Anomura) from Australia: species of Strobopagurus Lemaitre, 1989, Sympagurus Smith, 1883 and two new genera., Records of the Australian Museum 48 (2), pp. 163-221 : 190

Sympagurus trispinosus ( Balss, 1911 )

Parapagurus arcuatus var. trispinosa Balss, 1911: 3 (type locality: Tiefsee-Exped. "Valdivia", Pemba Canal [western Indian Ocean], sta. 246, 05°24'S, 39°19'E, 818 m).- Balss, 1912: 100, fig. 8, pI. 7, fig. 2, pI. 10, fig. 4.

Parapagurus trispinosus .-De Saint Laurent, 1972: 105.

Sympagurus trispinosus .- Lemaitre, 1989: 37; 1994: 390, figs 11, 12, 28e.

Type material. SYNTYPES: 3 females, Zoologische Staatssammlung, Munich (presumably lost, L. Tiefenbacher, pers. comm.).

Australian material. QUEENSLAND: 9 males (SL 8.5-19.0 mm), 1 female (SL 7.5 mm), 4 females ovig. (SL 10.5-19.0 mm), off Cairns, 16°55'S, 151°34'E, trawled, FRV Soeia, cruise 6, sta. 78, 880 m, 6 Dec 1985, colI. P.IF. Davie, QM W16514. 1 male (SL 16.1 mm), 1 female ovig. (SL 9.0 mm), off Cairns, 17°01'S, 151°20'E, P.IF. Davie, FRV Soeia, cruise 6, sta. 79, 800 m, 6 Dec 1985, QM WI6513. 1 female ovig. (SL 14.0 mm), off Tully, CIDARIS I, sta. 49 -3, 17°52'S, 147°1O'E, trawled, ORV Franklin, 881-920 m, 17 May 1986, colI. JCD, QM W16497. 1 male (SL 20.5 mm), off Tully, CIDARlS I, sta. 48-3, 17°52'S, 147°08'E, trawled, ORV Franklin, 700 m, 17 May 1986, colI. JCD, QM W16502. 1 female (SL 9.4 mm), 1 female ovig. (SL 11.0 mm), offTully, CIDARIS I, sta. 50-3, 18°02'S, 147°20'E, trawled, ORV Franklin, 918- 891 m, 17 May 1986, colI. JCD, QM W16499. 1 male (SL 11.4 mm), Marion Plateau, FRV Soeia, sta. 0685- 35, 19°00.65'S, 150039.2'E, 752- 751 m, 24 Nov 1985, NTM Cr 006840. 1 male (SL 15.8 mm), Marion Plateau, FRV Soela, sta. 0685-09, 22°57'S, 154°25.5'E, 678-695 m, 18 Nov 1985, NTM Cr 006853. 1 female (SL 14.7 mm), Southern Intruder Survey, shot 40, 23°17'S, 153°56'E, 460 m, 30 Nov 1983, colI. P.IF. Davie, QM Wl1304.

Diagnosis. First 11 pairs of gills intermediate. Shield as long as broad; dorsal surface weakly calcified medially; rostrum broadly rounded, with low dorsal ridge; anterior margins straight; lateral projections broadly subtriangular, terminating acutely or bluntly; posterior margin broadly rounded. Ocular peduncles half or slightly more than length of shield; ocular acicles subtriangular, terminating in bifid or multifid spine; corneae slightly dilated. Sternite of third maxillipeds with small spine on each side of midline. Epistomial spine short, straight. Antennular peduncle exceeding distal margin of corneae by about 0.3 length of penultimate segment. Antennal peduncle exceeding distal margin of cornea by about 0.5 length of fifth segment; 4th segment unarmed; 3rd segment with strong ventromesial distal spine (occasionally bifid); acicles slightly exceeding distal margin of corneae, mesial margin armed with 9 to 13 small spines; flagellum long, naked. Chelipeds dissimilar, with dense setae obscuring surfaces. Right cheliped with chela less than twice as long as wide, dorsal and ventral faces smooth; palm with mesial and lateral faces rounded or with dorsolateral margin weakly delimited by irregular rows of small spines; carpus with numerous small tubercles or spines on proximal half of dorsal surface. Left cheliped evenly calcified, chela unarmed; carpus unarmed or with irregular row of tubercles or spines on dorsal margin. Ambulatory legs long, slender, reaching to tip of extended right cheliped; dactyl about 1.7 times as long as propodus, with row of about 18 corneous spines on ventromesial margin, and with several short, oblique rows of bristles on mesial face distally; carpus with small dorsodistal spine; ischium and merus of 2nd pereopod each with row of small often obsolete spines on ventral margin. Anterior lobe of sternite of third pereopods unarmed, or with 1 marginal spine. Fourth pereopod with propodal rasp consisting of 3 to 4 irregular rows of conical scales. Uropods and telson markedly asymmetrical; telson with anterior lobes each with fringe of long setae on ventrolateral margin; posterior lobes separated by broad, shallow median cleft, terminal margins armed with numerous corneous spines. Male 1st gonopods each with ovate, weakly concave distal lobe; second gonopods each with distal segment nearly flat. Females with 2nd left pleopod with rami about twice as broad as rami of 3rd and 4th pleopods; with right vestigial second pleopod.

Colour. Body mostly cream yellow; tips of dactyls of ambulatory legs pinkish ( Lemaitre, 1994).

Distribution. Indo Pacific: Zanzibar; South Africa; Indonesia; Australia; and French Polynesia. Depth: 460 to 1412 m.