Parastacus pugnax (Poeppig, 1835)

Ribeiro, Felipe Bezerra & Araujo, Paula Beatriz, 2024, Taxonomic review of the genus Parastacus Huxley, 1879 (Decapoda: Astacidea: Parastacidae) with description of five new species, Zootaxa 5455 (1), pp. 1-84 : 10-15

Parastacus pugnax (Poeppig, 1835)

( Figs. 3–5 )

Astacus pugnax Poepigg, 1835: 314 .

Astacus chilensis H. Milne Edwards, 1837: 333 .

Astacus chiliensis .—­ Gray 1845:411 [erroneous spelling].

Astacus (Cambarus) chilensis .—­ Erichson 1846: 100.

Astacus (Astacus) Chilensis. —­ Herklots 1861: 144.

Parastacus Chilensis. —­ von Ihering 1893: 46.

Parastacus hassleri Faxon, 1898: 687 , pl 70, figs. 1–3.

Parastacus Hassleri. —­ Lönnberg 1898: 349, figs. 1–3.

Parastacus chilensis. —­ Rathbun 1910: 602.—­ Holthuis 1952: 81.

Astacus chilensis auct.—­ Bahamonde 1951: 92.

Parastacus pugnax .—­ Holthuis 1952: 84.—­ Riek 1971:133, fig. lb.—­ Buckup & Rossi 1993: 168, fig. 1.—­ Hobbs 1989: 80, fig. 371.—­ Rudolph 2010: 37, fig. 1B.—­ Rudolph 2013a: 512–614, figs. 1,.—­ Rudolph 2013b: 1481, fig. 8.—­ Crandall & De Grave 2017: 641.—­ Rogers et al. 2020: 879 (key), fig. 23.68B.—­ Huber et al. 2022: 276 (key).—­ De los Ríos-Escalante et al. 2022: 1130 (appendix), fig. 1n. —­ De los Ríos-Escalante et al. 2023: 110, fig. 1(2).—­ Huber et al. 2024: 14 (key).

Type locality. Talcahuano , Chile ( Hobbs 1989) .

Material examined. Chile: Parastacus pugnax —­ one sni (dry specimen) (Type of Astacus chilensis ), Valparaiso, coll. M. Gay (MNHN-As 356) ( Fig. 3 ); five males and five females, Arredores de Puente Alto, coll. M. Cadoceu (MNHNCL/CRU DA2193); one male (dry specimen) Río Aconquagua, II/1956, coll. H. Etchevery (MNHNCL/ CRU 2068); one female, Quebrada de Cordova, El Tabo, 24/VII/1958, coll. J. Reys (MNHNCL/CRU 2318); one male, Quebrada de Córdova, El Tabo, 1/I/1956, coll. E. Hermosilla (MNHNCL/CRU 2069); one female, Quebrada de Córdoba, El Tabo, 17/IV/1958, coll. S. Spinoza & M. Riquelme (MNHNCL/CRU 2301); one juvenile (dry specimen), Río Mapocho, El Monte, 30/XI/1957 (MNHNCL/CRU 2118); five ♀, Rengo (cordillera), II/1984, coll. A.F. Neto ( UFRGS 726); two males and five females (one ovigerous) (dry specimens), Fundo “La Torina ”, 19/I/1959, coll. Serrano (MNHNCL/CRU 2364); one male (dry specimen), Bucalemu, 22/VIII/1957, coll. N. Bahamonde (MNHNCL/CRU 2084); two females, Hacienda Bucalemu, 6/VIII/1959, coll. N. Bahamonde (MNHNCL/CRU 2384); three sni Estación Piscicultura Curicó, 3/VIII/1955 (MNHNCL/CRU 2182); one male and one female, Estero Las Toscas, Quinahue, 10,20/ I/1959, coll. Lopéz (MNHNCL/CRU 2284); one male (dry specimen), Quinahue, cerca de Santa Cruz, VIII/1952, coll. M. T. Lopéz (MNHNCL/CRU 2058); two males (dry specimen), Quinahue, Santa Cruz, coll. M. T. Lopéz (MNHNCL/CRU 2057); four males and one female, Talca, II/1957, coll. R. Henriquez (MNHNCL/CRU 2059); seven males and two females, Linares, 23–24/VIII/1986, coll. M. Rebolledo (MNHNCL/ CRU D –11093–A); two males and two females, Linares, VIII/1986, coll. M. Rebolledo (MNHNCL/CRU 11.093- A); seven males and one female, Villa Alegre, IV/1953, coll. P. Sepúlveda (MNHNCL/CRU 2051); four males and one female, Estero Villa Alegre, IV/1953, coll. P. Sepúlveda (MNHNCL/CRU 2048); one male, Cauquenes, 1952, coll. Alvarado (MNHNCL/CRU 2184); two males and two females, Guaraculén, XII/1952, coll. M. Espinoza (MNHNCL/CRU 2063); two females and four juveniles, Parral, 04/V/1959, coll. Montero (MNHNCL/CRU 2372); one female, San Carlos, V/1955 (MNHNCL/CRU 2194); one male and two females, San Carlos de Buli, San Carlos, 28/VII/1964, coll. A. Avilla (MNHNCL/CRU 2422); one male (dry specimen), San Carlos (8 a Región, Bío-Bío, 26/IX/2000, coll. E. Del Valle Leina (MNHNCL/CRU 11374); five males and three females, Nuble (between Parral and San Carlos, near Panamerican Highway), 03/VII/1981, coll. J.C. Miguel ( RMNH.CRUS.D. 34684) three males and one female, Tumbes, VI/1994 (MNB 10465–1); two males and one female, Tumbes (MNB 10465–2); two males, Chillán, 20/IX/1957, coll. N. Bahamonde (MNHHCL/CRU 2091); two females, Entre Dichato y Quinehue, 10,20/ II/1959, coll. L. Peña (MNHHCL/CRU 2147); one male, Manganal, IX/1894, coll. Lakaste (MNHN-As 358); ten males and one female, Puga Borne, Manganal (Itata), IX/1894, coll. M. Lakaste (MNHN-As 359); one male, Concepción, coll. Pöpigg ( MNB 26983); one male and two females, La Florida, Concepción, 19/I/1977 ( UFRGS 2407); two males and three females, Laguna San Pedro, Concepción, 18/VII/1970; three males and three females, Concepción, Los Bastros (along the road towards Coronel), 24/V/1980, coll. Lekalovic ( RMNH.CRUS.D. 32955); one male, Laguna San Pedro, Concepción, IX/1955, coll. J. Concha (MNHNCL/CRU 2050); 43 males, Andalién, Concepción, 13/VI/1958, coll. P. Cassel (MNHNCL/CRU 2293); one male, Carahue, 28/08/1995, leg. E. Rudolph (FC–UDELAR 28); 34 males, Carahue, 1/IV/1959, coll. N. Bahamonde (MNHNCL/CRU 2021).

Diagnosis and Description. Poeppig (1835), Buckup & Rossi (1993), Rudolph (2010).

Remarks. Poeppig (1835) did not provide a morphological description for Astacus pugnax . There was not a designated type for this species until the contribution of Hobbs (1989), who designated the holotype of P. hassleri (MCZ 3401), a synonym of P. pugnax , as the neotype of P. pugnax . The designated holotype of P. chilensis by H. Milne-Edwards (1837), also a synonym of P. pugnax , is deposited in the Museum d'Histoire Naturelle in Paris, and was examined ( Fig. 3 ); the type-locality of Astacus chilensis is Valparaiso. Additional morphological characters not mentioned in previous descriptions are: eyes small ( Fig. 4A, B, C ); front narrow ( Fig. 4A, B ); epistome anterolateral section with a small conical projection ( Fig. 4A ); antenna when extended back reaching the posterior edge of carapace; antennal scale lateral margin straight ( Fig. 5D ); antennule internal ventral border of basal article unarmed ( Fig. 5A ); mandible with cephalic molar process molariform and caudal molar process bicuspidate, incisor lobe with ten teeth; the third tooth from the anterior is the largest ( Fig. 5E ); SLP4 and SLP5 subequal in size and very close to each other, medial keel present and not inflated; SLP6 larger than SLP4 and SLP5 with slightly concave dorsal surface, medial keel present and inflated; SLP7 largest and with slightly concave surface, median keel present and slightly inflated; SLP8 smaller than SLP 7, median keel absent, vertical arms of paired sternopleural bridges close to each other, bullar lobes not visible ( Fig. 5B, C ); male cuticle partition present. This species is morphologically similar to P. tuerkayi in having the post orbital carinae weakly prominent, the areola narrow and barely discernible and the pleon narrower than the cephalothorax, but it can be distinguished from that species by the rostral carinae being strongly convergent and by the number of teeth in the mandible incisor lobe. Genetic analysis conducted across several populations of P. pugnax indicated geographically structured groups, thus raising the hypothesis of a species complex ( Victoriano & D’Elía 2021).

Distribution. Chile (Valparaiso, San Antonio, Talagante, Cardenal Caro, Colchagua, Linares, Cauquenes, Ñuble, Concepción, Biobío, Malleco and Cautín) ( Rudolph 2010; Ribeiro et al. 2020).

Color of live specimens. Rostrum, cephalothorax anterior and lateral regions, chelipeds, dorsal pleon and tailfan light brown to greenish brown. Pereiopod pairs 2–5 light brown (Rudolph 2013).

Habitat and Ecology. Vegas or hualves, occurring in underground waters in small valleys or depressions between mountains or topographic depressions, usually associated with perennial forests(Rudolph 2013). Parastacus pugnax builds burrows with few ramifications and variable depths ( Rudolph 2010; 2013). Parastacus pugnax can also be found in lotic systems, where it builds burrows in the margins ( Rudolph 2012). Burrows of P. pugnax can be identified as type 2 according to Horwitz and Richardson’s (1986) classification and the species can be considered a primary burrower based on Hobbs’ (1942) classification ( Ribeiro et al. 2020).

Figures

FIGURE 3. Parastacus pugnax (Poeppig, 1835)—­ Type of Astacus chilensis (MNHN-As 356).

FIGURE 4. Parastacus pugnax (Poeppig, 1835): A—­ habitus, dorsal view (UFRGS 726); B—­ cephalon, dorsal view (UFRGS 726); C—­ cephalon, lateral view (UFRGS 726); D—­ female pleonal somites, dorsal view (UFRGS 2407); E—­ first to third male pleonal pleura (UFRGS 726); F—­ first to third female pleonal pleura (UFRGS 2407); G—­ tailfan (UFRGS 726). Scale bars: A, E—­ 10 mm; B, C, D, F, G—­ 5 mm.

FIGURE 5. Parastacus pugnax (Poeppig, 1835): A—­ epistome (UFRGS 2407); B—­ thoracic sternites and gonopores (UFRGS 726); C—­ thoracomere 8, caudal view (UFRGS 726); D—­ antennal scale, lateral view (UFRGS 726); E—­ mandible (UFRGS 726); F—­ third maxilliped, ventral view (UFRGS 726); G—­ third maxilliped, dorsal view (UFRGS 726); H—­ first pereiopod, lateral view (UFRGS 726); I—­ first pereiopod, dorsal view (UFRGS 726); J—­ second pereiopod, lateral view (UFRGS 726). Scale bars: A, C, D, H, I—­ 5 mm; B—­ 10 mm; F, G, J—­ 3.33 mm.