Paraxiopsis brocki (De Man, 1888 )

Poore, Gary C. B., 2018, Burrowing lobsters mostly from shallow coastal environments in Papua New Guinea (Crustacea: Axiidea: Axiidae, Micheleidae), Memoirs of Museum Victoria 77, pp. 1-14 : 11

Paraxiopsis brocki (De Man, 1888)

Figs 2c, d , 6c–g

Axius brocki De Man, 1888: 475 , pl. 20 fig. 3.

Axiopsis (Paraxiopsis) brocki .— De Man, 1905: 597.— Tirmizi, 1983: 88–90, fig. 3.

Eutrichocheles brocki .— Sakai and de Saint Laurent,1989: 52, fig. 4B.— Ngoc-Ho, 1998: 365–368, fig. 1.

Paraxiopsis brocki .— Kensley, 1996.— Poore and Collins, 2009: 266.— Sakai, 2011: 158–161, fig. 27C (full synonymy).

Material examined. Papua New Guinea. Madang Province, PAPUA NIUGINI stations. W of Panab I., 05° 10.3' S, 145° 48.5'E, 1–18 m (stn PR147), IU-2013-7108 (male, 6.8 mm). Riwo, mangrove, 05° 09' S, 145° 48.2' E, 1–2 m (stn PR235), IU-2013-7118 (ovigerous female, 5.5 mm). Kranket I., Cape Jantzen, 05° 12.5' S, 145° 49.1' E, 13 m (stn PB11 ), IU-2013-7126 (male, 3.1 mm) .

New Ireland Province, Kavieng region, KAVIENG 2014 stations. S coast of Baudison I., 02° 45.2' S, 150° 41.7' E, 22–27 m (stn KB68), IU-2014-990 (female, 5.5 mm); IU-2014-1032 (female, 5.9 mm). NW point of Nusa I., 02° 33.9' S, 150° 46.7' E, 15–17 m (stn KB04), IU-2014-2054 (juvenile, 3.1 mm). Marthas Shoal , sand and coarse rubble in gutter, 20 m, 02° 32.5' S, 150° 35.3' E (stn KB60), NMV J71640 (male, 7.5 mm; 2 ovigerous females, 6.8 mm); IU-2014-2736 (male, 6.8 mm). NW point of Nubis I., 02° 37.2' S, 150° 31.8' E, 20 m (stn KB39), IU-2014-17693 (juvenile, damaged) .

Indonesia. Maluku Province, Pulau Wuliaru , 7° 27' S, 131° 3.7' E, IU-2014-12081 (female, 9.5 mm) .

Diagnosis. Carapace smooth, without tomentum of setae. Rostrum with 4–6 lateral teeth; lateral gastric carina with supraorbital spine plus 2 teeth; submedian gastric carina with 1 or 2 teeth; median gastric carina without spines. Telson with 3 or 4 pairs of dorsal spines. Cheliped merus with 1–3 spines on upper margin, palm unornamented. Male pleopod 1 absent in small specimens, single article in adults.

Distribution. Widespread in the Indo West-Pacific, from eastern Africa, Western Australia, northern Australia, to southern Japan and French Polynesia; to 91 m depth ( Sakai, 2011).

Remarks. The new material contributes little to knowledge of this widespread and frequently taken species. The species was well illustrated by Ngoc-Ho (1998). Sakai (2011: fig. 27C) figured a simple male pleopod 1 on a male from Darwin, Australia; pleopod 1 is absent in the smallest male and minute in the larger ones from this collection. Most of the specimens at hand have a minute anterior tooth on pleonal pleura 2–5. Sakai (2011) himself discussed variation in this character and in the presence or absence of the male pleopod 1 after presenting an extensive diagnosis.

Figures

Figure 2. Parascytoleptus papua Poore and Collins, 2010: a, MNHN IU-2014-2735; b, MNHN IU-2013-7128. Paraxiopsis brocki (De Man, 1888): c, MNHN IU-2013-7108; d, MNHN IU-2014-2736. Ralumcaris bisquamosa (De Man, 1905): e, MNHN IU-2013-7120.Photo credits: AA, b, c, e; TYC, a, d.

Figure 6. Axiopsis serratifrons A. Milne-Edwards, 1873: a, male, MNHN IU-2013-637, anterior carapace, dorsal view. Parascytoleptus papua Poore and Collins, 2010, male, MNHN IU-2013-7128: b, major right cheliped. Paraxiopsis brocki (De Man, 1888), male, MNHN IU-2013-7108: c, anterior carapace, lateral view; d, antenna with scaphocerite; e, cheliped, merus; male, MNHN IU-2014-2736; f, g, pleopods 1, ventral and lateral views. Ralumcaris bisquamosa (De Man, 1905), male, MNHN IU-2013-7120: h, i, anterior carapace, dorsal and lateral views. Scale bars = 1 mm.