Cardisoma aspasia Adams, 1847

Low, Martyn E. Y., Ng, Peter K. L. & Clark, Paul F., 2020, Additional notes on the publication of the Narrative, Zoology and Notes from a Journal of Research into the Natural History of the Voyage of H. M. S. Samarang and its consequences for the nomenclature of decapod crustaceans and other taxa, Zootaxa 4809 (2), pp. 271-305 : 293

Cardisoma aspasia Adams, 1847 : a junior subjective synonym of Cardisoma carnifex ( Herbst, 1796) ( Decapoda : Brachyura : Gecarcinidae )

In the chapter on the natural history of Borneo, Adams (1847c: 437) lists: “[a] very splendid species of Cardisoma , which I have named C. aspasia , inhabits the steep muddy banks at the mouths of the rivers near this part of the coast, where it forms deep cylindrical burrows. It is excessively wary, retreating on the slightest noise into its subterranean domicile, from whence it is not easily dislodged. It appears to be less shy, however, as the evening advances, and is probably nocturnal in its habits, like some of the species of Ocypode . This lovely crustacean, nearly as large as the adult edible crab, has a purple shell margined behind with buff, and feet and claws of a delicate lilac”.

The description, colouration and habits of Cardisoma aspasia Adams, 1847 , agrees well with that of Cardisoma carnifex ( Herbst, 1796) . Furthermore, of the four recognised Cardisoma species (see Ng et al. 2008: 214), only the distribution of Cardisoma carnifex includes Borneo (see Ng & Guinot 2001: 25) and the habitat described for Cardisoma aspasia matches well what is known about its ecology. Here, Cardisoma aspasia Adams, 1847 is considered to be a subjective junior synonym of Cardisoma carnifex ( Herbst, 1796) . As discussed above, the type of Cardisoma aspasia Adams, 1847 , cannot be located and is presumed to be lost. There is no need to select a neotype for Cardisoma aspasia Adams, 1848 as the taxonomy of Cardisoma carnifex does not present problems (see discussion in Ng et al. 2011; Guinot et al. 2018). Recent studies of land crabs, however, have indicated there is a higher diversity than HaS BEEn pREvIoUSLy tHoUgHt (TÜRkay 1974) wItH a nUmBER of wIdE-RangIng taxa BEEn compoSEd of SpEcIES com- plexes (see Ng & Davie 2011; Guinot et al. 2018). As such, the selection of an appropriate neotype for Cardisoma aspasia Adams, 1847 should only be undertaken when the taxonomy of Cardisoma carnifex s. str. is revised.