Porcellanella haigae Sankarankutty, 1963

Werding, Bernd & Hiller, Alexandra, 2007, The Porcellanidae (Crustacea: Decapoda: Anomura) of the Red Sea with description of a new species of Petrolisthes, Zootaxa 1460, pp. 1-24 : 19-20

18. Porcellanella haigae Sankarankutty, 1963

( Figs. 18 a–c)

Porcellanella haigae Sankarankutty, 1963: 273 , figs. 1a–e.— Haig 1966b: 61.— Nakasone & Miyake 1972: 142, figs. 3A–H.— Haig 1981: 288; 1983: 287; 1989: 99.

Porcellanella triloba .— Miyake 1943: 134, fig. 53.— Lieske & Myers 2004: 338, color photo p. 339, fig. 9. (Not P. triloba White 1852 ).

which it can be easily distinguished from its congener P. triloba White, 1852 . Whereas the merus of the chelipeds in P. triloba is produced into a large conspicuous lobe on its inner margin, the merus of P. haigae is subcylindrical without such a lobe. The general coloration of P. h a i g a e is ivory with brown rings on the chelipeds, and broad longitudinal bands on the carapace. This pattern is identical to the one figured by Nakasone & Miyake (1972), and illustrated by Lieske & Myers (2004). The general coloration of P. triloba is pinkish-blue with dark rings on chelipeds and carapace. Both species live on sea pens.

With the assistance of E. Lieske we were able to contact the author of the photograph in question, M. Hackenberg, who confirmed the origin of the photographed specimen from the Dahab region, Gulf of Aqaba. The presence of the species in this northern extension suggests that the species may be widespread in the Red Sea.

Distribution. Porcellanella haigae is known from the Seychelles, southern India, Japan, the Philippines, and Palau Islands. The record from the Gulf of Aqaba is the first record of the genus Porcellanella for the Red Sea.

Figures

FIGURE 18. Porcellanella haigae Sankarankutty, 1963, juvenile, Indonesia, Moluccas, Kaitetu, Rumphius Biohistorisch Expeditie 1990, Naturalis, Leiden. (a) Carapace, dorsal view. (b) Left cheliped, ventral view. (c) First walking leg, dorsal view.