Search

Two new genera of freshwater crabs (Potamidae) are recorded from northern Vietnam, Tortomon Huang, Wang & Shih, 2020, and Aiyunamon Pan, Ng & Sun, 2022. These genera had previously only been reported from southern China and eastern Myanmar. Each genus is represented by a new species. Tortomon distinctum n. sp. is markedly different from its two Chinese congeners in its proportionately wider carapace, more elongate third maxilliped, the carpus of the cheliped being armed only with a low tubercle, possessing relatively more slender and longer ambulatory legs, a gently curved male first gonopod and a more elongate male second gonopod. Aiyunamon vietnamicum n. sp. is distinct from its five congeners in its proportionately less convex dorsal surface of the carapace, relatively lower epigastric cristae, lower rugosities of the postorbital cristae, wider median lobe of the posterior margin of the epistome, relatively narrower male pleon, and a male first gonopod that has the terminal segment more distinctly curved with a wider concavity on the outer margin of the subterminal segment.

The identity of the poorly known pilumnid crab Myopilumnus andamanicus Deb, 1989 originally described from Neil Island, South Andaman Islands, India, is clarified. A re-examination of the holotype female shows that Deb’s taxon is actually a species of Lophoplax Tesch, 1918. Myopilumnus is synonymized with Lophoplax. Lophoplax andamanica n. comb. is redescribed and compared with congeners. This is the first record of Lophoplax from the Indian Ocean.

The identity of Philyra alcocki Kemp, 1915 (Leucosiidae), a species described from Chilika Lake, India is clarified. The redescription of lectotype male and examination of fresh material collected from Chilika Lake, Odisha state of India revealed that P. alcocki is significantly different morphologically from members of Philyra senso stricto and other allied genera in possessing two tuberculated rows on the branchial region of carapace, and a well-developed tubercle on male thoracic sternite 5 on either side of the sternopleonal cavity. Therefore, a new genus Alcolyra n. gen. is established herewith for the species.

A new species of intertidal sesarmid crab, Lithoselatium tantichodoki new species, is described from the Gulf of Thailand. The species is superficially similar to L. kusu Schubart, Liu & Ng, 2009, from Singapore and Malaysia, but differs in the proportions of the ambulatory legs and the structure of the male first gonopod.

The taxonomy of the poorly known pilumnid crab, Pseudolitochira integra (Miers, 1884), has been confused because the original description and figures of the type female have inaccuracies, and the specimen has not been examined in detail since the original publication. Consequently, numerous specimens from the Indo-West Pacific have been incorrectly assigned to P. integra, suggesting that this species is widely distributed. The type female was micro-CT scanned in order to provide video and accurate figures of this rare pilumnid. The female possesses a suite of carapace and pereopodal characters that distinctly distinguish it from other pilumnoid taxa. The species is redescribed, refigured and formally designated as the type species of Pseudolitochira Ward, 1942. The identities of the numerous specimens assigned to P. integra are discussed and the distribution of the species is restricted to the western Indian Ocean for the time being.

In the majority of species and genus names in Decapoda Crustacea, the author(s) of the name equate with the author(s) of the work. In a relatively small number of cases, however, the author(s) of the name are either a subset of the authors of the work or are not an author on the work—a phenomenon herein termed “innies”. We demonstrate that these two categories should be differentially interpreted according to Articles 50.1 and 50.1.1 of the ICZN Code. To promote stability in cited authorship of historical names, it is proposed that 1) if the author(s) of the name are also an author on the work, these should be universally accepted as “innies”, irrespective of any further explanation in the text (including a mere attribution following the taxon name); and 2) that if the author(s) of the name are not an author(s) of the work, these should only be considered as “innies” if a more expansive explanation is given in the text, not merely an attribution of authorship to the taxon name.

Tritodynamia bengalensis n. sp. is described on the basis of a male specimen dredged from the shallow coastal waters of West Bengal state, India. The new species is morphologically similar to T. bidentata Yang & Tang, 2005 and T. serratipes Anker & Ng, 2014, but can be distinguished by the carapace shape, dentition of the pollex, relative length of the dactylus of the third maxilliped, proportions of the propodus of the third pereopod, and structure of the male left gonopod. This is the first record of the genus Tritodynamia from India.

The pinnotherid crab, Pinnothera obesa Dana, 1852, was originally described on the basis of material from Fiji, but its taxonomic status has long been obscure because the original description and figures are too brief and schematic by modern standards and the types are also lost. Examination of newly collected material from Fiji revealed the presence of two intertidal pinnotherid species assignable to the genus Arcotheres Manning, 1993, one of which is herein identified with Dana’s taxon. A neotype is designated for Arcotheres obesus n. comb. in the interest of nomenclatural stability, and a detailed redescription is given. Arcotheres obesus is morphologically similar to A. exiguus (Bürger, 1895) and A. rotundatus (Bürger, 1895), and differentiating characters are discussed. The species is also reported from Peninsular Malaysia. The second species is new to science, here described as Arcotheres ocularius, and is most similar to A. palaensis (Bürger, 1895) and A. arcophilus (Bürger, 1895). The new species is also recorded from Lombok, Indonesia. Arcotheres obesus and A. ocularius n. sp. are associated with bivalve mollusks of the genera Gafrarium spp. (Veneridae) and Anadara spp. (Arcidae), respectively.

Three new Indo-West Pacific species of pinnotherid crabs are described, one each of Arcotheres, Buergeres and Nepinnotheres. Arcotheres pollus, described from Paway Island, Mergui Archipelago, is most similar to A. boninensis (Stimpson, 1858), A. pernicola (Bürger, 1895) and A. purpureus (Alcock, 1900), sharing a transversely ovate carapace and long, slender, almost styliform dactyli of P4 and 5 that are about twice the length of those of P2 and 3. Buergeres choprai, described from Papua New Guinea, is most similar to B. deccanesis (Chopra, 1931) from eastern India but differentiated by segment proportions and setation of the walking legs. Buergeres tenuipes (Bürger, 1895) is synonymised with B. ortmanni (Bürger, 1895), which is also reported for the first time from Indonesia. A male of an undetermined species of Buergeres from the Philippines, possibly B. ortmanni, is figured and described, documenting the gonopod morphology in Buergeres for the first time. A key to the species of Buergeres based on females is provided. Nepinnotheres fulvia sp. nov. is also described from Papua New Guinea, and resembles N. cardii (Bürger, 1895) from the Philippines and Malaysia but can be distinguished by features of the chelipeds and maxilliped 3.

The identity of Nepinnotheres vicajii (Chhapgar, 1957) (described as Pinnotheres vicajii) (Pinnotheridae), a pea crab associated with the bivalve Marcia recens (Holten, 1802), is clarified. On the basis of re-diagnosis of holotype male and freshly collected female specimens from its type locality, P. vicajii is now assigned to Arcotheres Manning, 1993. A second poorly known species from India, Arcotheres casta (Antony & Kuttyamma, 1971), originally collected from Meretrix casta (Gmelin, 1791) is also synonymized with A. vicajii.

Captain Edward Belcher was instructed by the Lords of the Admiralty to conduct a Surveying Expedition of the various coasts and islands in the Eastern Seas using H.M.S. Samarang. During this voyage from 1843–1846, Assistant-Surgeon Arthur Adams, made a significant contribution to the collection of natural history specimens, and together with fellow officers J. Richards and W. Browne, he prepared numerous drawings used by Belcher to illustrate the Narrative of the voyage. Later, Adams collaborated with Adam White (an Assistant in the Zoological Branch of the British Museum) to describe the Samarang Crustacea, published jointly with Lovell Reeve on the Samarang Mollusca, edited the Zoology of the voyage of H.M.S. Samarang and was the author of Notes from a Journal of the Natural History which was published in the Narrative of the voyage by Belcher. In his Natural History, Adams provided detailed accounts on some of the crustaceans collected with formal descriptions of species new to science thereby making these names available. The history, nomenclature and validity of the crustacean species cited in this work is discussed and a list of the available names is tabulated.

The identity of Arcotheres pernicola (Bürger, 1895) (Pinnotheridae), a pea crab supposedly associated with the mussel Perna, has been unclear as the type specimen is in poor condition. Specimens collected from the oyster Magallana gryphoides (Schlotheim, 1820) from Alibaugh, Maharashtra state, India, are here referred to A. pernicola and the species is redescribed and refigured. Its affinities with allied congeners are also discussed.

The deep-water epialtid spider crab (superfamily Majoidea) material collected from recent French expeditions to Papua New Guinea (BIOPAPUA 2010, PAPUA NIUGINI 2012, MADEEP 2014, and KAVIENG 2014) was studied. In addition to several new records for the country, five new species of Oxypleurodon Miers, 1885, Rochinia A. Milne-Edwards, 1875, and Tunepugettia Ng, Komai & Sato, 2017, are described. The taxonomy of Tunepugettia is reappraised, and a new genus, Crocydocinus n. gen., is established, characterised by its smooth ambulatory legs and a distinct male first gonopod structure. Four species from the Bay of Bengal, Sumatra, and Réunion Island, currently placed in Rochinia and Tunepugettia are transferred to Crocydocinus n. gen. and four new species from Papua New Guinea, Philippines, and Vanuatu are described. A new genus, Neophrys n. gen., with one new species from Papua New Guinea, is established, and is characterised by the supraorbital eave being fused with the carapace and the poorly developed pre-orbital angle.

A new semiterrestrial vampire crab from the family Sesarmidae, Geosesarma spectrum n. sp., is described from Brunei Darussalam (Borneo). The new species is characterised by its colouration in life, relatively large size, and form of the carapace, ambulatory legs and gonopods. The new species is compared to its closest congeners from Borneo. This description brings the number of Geosesarma species to 60.

The crab fauna (Crustacea: Brachyura) of Lakshadweep (Laccadives), a group of Indian islands in the western Indian Ocean is updated, using material from the intertidal and shallow subtidal areas collected between 2012 and 2015. Fifty-three species were recorded during this study, of which 17 species are newly recorded from the islands, and three are also new records for India. A total of 169 species of brachyuran crabs are now known from Lakshadweep. The taxonomy of Elamena gracilis Borradaile, 1903 (Hymenosomatidae) is clarified and stabilized by the designation of a lectotype.

The taxonomy of the Sundathelphusa philippina (von Martens, 1868) species group (Brachyura; Gecarcinucidae) from the Philippines is revised, and two new species are described. Sundathelphusa philippina sensu stricto is here restricted to the Bicol Peninsula of southern Luzon, and to the islands of Samar and Leyte. It is one of the largest freshwater crabs in the archipelago, reaching carapace widths of more than 53 mm. Sundathelphusa cebu sp. nov. from Cebu Island is superficially similar to S. philippina in morphology but can be separated by a suite of carapace characters. Sundathelphusa quirino sp. nov. from northern Luzon is the most distinct of the three taxa, with a distinctly more swollen carapace, relatively wider male pleon and a straighter male first gonopod. Sundathelphusa spelaeophila Stasolla, Abbarchi & Innocenti, 2015, is also shown to be a junior synonym of S. philippina sensu stricto.

A poorly known leucosiid crab, Pseudophilyra punctulata Chen & Ng, 2003, originally described on the basis of an immature male holotype and an immature female paratype from Singapore, is rediscovered and rediagnosed on the basis of material from Thailand, the Philippines and the Ryukyu Islands (Japan). In addition, a new species closely related to P. punctulata, P. parilis, is described and illustrated on the basis of material from Mie Prefecture, Honshu mainland of Japan. The new species is distinguished from P. punctulata by the coarser granules bordering the lateral carapace margins and the different shape of the gonopods. Pseudophilyra tridentata Miers, 1879, is also compared with P. punctulata and P. parilis n. sp. because of the close similarities in the overall morphology of the carapace and appendages, but can easily be differentiated by the smoother carapace and thoracic sternum surface, different shape of the carapace and the stouter cheliped palm. It is possible that previous records of P. tridentata outside Japan might contain more than one species.

A new species of semiterrestrial highland vampire crab of the family Sesarmidae, Geosesarma larsi n. sp., is described from western Sarawak. This brings the number of Bornean Geosesarma species to 12. Geosesarma larsi n. sp. is distinguished from congeners by the structures of the carapace, third maxilliped exopod and gonopods, as well as the proportions of its ambulatory legs. The colour pattern in life is also strikingly different from allied species. Notes on its ecology are provided and conservation threats briefly discussed.

An annotated checklist of the marine brachyuran crabs occurring in India is compiled from published literature and augmented by collections between 2005 and 2015. A total of 910 species belonging to 361 genera and 62 families are herein listed from Indian waters. Specimens representing 130 species were obtained from Gujarat state during 2005 and 2015, of which 23 are new records to Gujarat state and two species are reported for the first time from the west coast of India. The highest number of species were recorded from the Andaman and Nicobar islands (588 species) while the smallest number were from Goa and Karnataka state (82 species). The records indicate that the east coast of India, with 803 species, is more diverse than the west coast, which has 446 species.

The identity of the tree-spider crab, Parasesarma leptosoma (Hilgendorf, 1869) (family Sesarmidae), which is believed to be widely distributed in the Indo-West Pacific, is reassessed and shown to be a species-complex with nine species, seven of which are here described as new. Parasesarma leptosoma sensu stricto is now restricted to South and East Africa; and P. limbense (Rathbun, 1914) from Sulawesi, which had been regarded as a junior synonym, is here recognized as a valid species. The following species are described as new: P. gecko n. sp. from Vanuatu, Fiji, Guam and Japan; P. macaco n. sp. from Taiwan and the Philippines; P. kui n. sp. from Taiwan; P. parvulum n. sp. from the Philippines; P. gracilipes n. sp. from Indonesian Papua; P. purpureum n. sp. from Malaysia; and P. tarantula n. sp. from Sulawesi, Indonesia. The nine species of the Parasesarma leptosoma species-complex can be separated by the different shapes of their carapaces, the form of the dactylar tubercles on the male chelipeds, proportions of their ambulatory legs and the structure of the male first gonopod.

A new stygobitic sesarmid crab species is described from underground freshwater cave streams in the southern Malang karst range on the south coast of East Java Province, Indonesia. Karstarma malang n. sp. is morphologically most similar to K. jacobsoni (Ihle, 1912) from an underground river cave system in the southern coast of the Special Region of Yogyakarta Province in central Java, but differs in having a relatively larger cornea, less swollen ocular peduncle which lacks a ridge along the median part, proportionately shorter ambulatory legs and a more slender male first gonopod. This paper increases the number of the species of Karstarma Davie & Ng, 2007, to 16; the new species being the eighth of the genus from Indonesia. It is also the third species which has a distinctly reduced cornea.

The identity of Arcotheres placunae (Hornell & Southwell, 1909) (Pinnotheridae), a pea crab associated with the window pane shell, Placuna placenta, has been confused as the types are lost and the original figures are inaccurate and do not match the description given of the species. In the present study, fresh specimens of the species were collected from the type locality (Gulf of Kachchh, Gujarat, India), and the species is here redescribed and refigured, and its affinities with similar species is discussed. To stabilize the taxonomy of A. placunae, a neotype is chosen from amongst the fresh material.

A new species of the porcellanid genus Raphidopus Stimpson, 1858, is described on the basis of specimens from Penang and Kuala Selangor, Peninsular Malaysia. Raphidopus brevipes n. sp. is distinguished from its allied congeners, R. indicus Henderson, 1893 and R. johnsoni Ng & Nakasone, 1994, by the proportionally narrower carapace and stouter ambulatory legs, as well as the different dentition on the cutting edge of the dactylus of the larger cheliped. Raphidopus johnsoni, previously known only by the holotype from Singapore, is now also recorded from Phuket (Thailand) and Java (Indonesia). Raphidopus indicus and R. johnsoni are rediagnosed on the basis of the respective type material and other specimens. A key to species of the genus Raphidopus is provided.

Five species of the genus Polyonyx Stimpson, 1858 are reported from southern Japan, the Philippines, Singapore, and Peninsular Malaysia. All of them belong to the P. sinensis group, which is morphologically defined by having the dactyli of the ambulatory legs each with the dorsal claw being much smaller than the ventral claw. Two species are described as new to science, one each from Peninsular Malaysia and the Ryukyu Islands in Japan, and their affinities are discussed. Polyonyx boucheti Osawa, 2007, P. heok Osawa & Ng, 2016, and P. thai Werding, 2001, are also newly reported from southern Japan, the Philippines, and Singapore. A key to the Indo-West Pacific species of the P. sinensis group is provided.

Parilia alcocki Wood-Mason, in Wood-Mason & Alcock, 1891, the type species of Parilia Wood-Mason, in Wood-Mason & Alcock, 1891, described from the Bay of Bengal, is one of the largest known leucosioid crabs, reaching carapace widths of over 50 mm. It is, however, not well known and its male gonopods have never been figured. A series of specimens of this species obtained from a fishing port in Tamil Nadu, India, allows for a comprehensive re-description and illustrations of the species. Its distinguishing characters from congeners are discussed.

A new species of gecarcinucid freshwater crab of the genus Oziotelphusa Müller, 1887, is described from stationary or slow-flowing bodies of water in Keeriparai near Nagercoil, in the state of Tamil Nadu in southern India. Oziotelphusa ravi, new species, is distinguished from its congeners by several distinct characters: the median tooth of the posterior margin of epistome forms a distinct bilobed tip in frontal view, the male pleonal somite 6 is narrowly trapezoidal and slightly wider than long with the lateral margins concave, the terminal segment of the male first gonopod is distinctly bent laterally (along the longitudinal axis) at an angle of about 45°, and the proximal part of the outer margin of the subterminal segment of the male first gonopod has a prominent deep concavity.

The consequences for the nomenclature of the Brachyura as a result of the inadvertent publication of new names in the two editions of the narrative of the Deutschen Tiefsee-Expedition auf dem Dampfer ‘Valdivia’ 1898–1899 that were published before their formal descriptions by Doflein in the scientific reports to the expedition are discussed. Both editions of the narrative are shown to have been issued in parts (Lieferungen). Accurate dates of publication for the parts of the narrative and for Doflein’s work are presented. A list of new taxon names in other groups of animals that may also have been inadvertently made available in the narrative is included.

The inachid spider crab genus, Parapleisticantha Yokoya, 1933 [type species: Parapleisticantha japonica Yokoya, 1933] is removed from the synonymy of Pleistacantha Miers, 1879 [type species: Pleistacantha sanctijohannis Miers, 1879], and recognised as a valid genus. Parapleisticantha differs from Pleistacantha sensu stricto primarily by having a less spiny carapace, stouter and more inflated male chelipeds, and by lacking a slender subdistal process on the male first gonopod. We redescribe Parapleisticantha japonica based on the Japanese type material and describe as new a second species, Parapleisticantha ludivinae n. sp., recently discovered in thePhilippines.

The nomenclature and taxonomy of the Cape Town Spider Crab, Macropodia falcifera Stimpson, 1858, is treated. The species is rediagnosed and figured, and its ecology discussed. A key is also provided of the Indo-West Pacific species of Macropodia.

A new genus and species of freshwater crab, Diyutamon cereum n. gen., n. sp., is described from a cave in Guizhou, China. This is the first record of a true stygomorphic crab from China and East Asia, possessing pale body coloration, strongly reduced eyes, and long ambulatory legs. While superficially similar to Chinapotamon Dai & Naiyanetr, 1994, and Tiwaripotamon Bott, 1970, the new genus possesses a diagnostic combination of carapace, ambulatory leg, thoracic sternal, and male abdominal characters that easily distinguishes it from other genera. Molecular data derived from the mitochondrial 16S rDNA supports the establishment of the new genus.

Two new species of potamid freshwater crabs of the genus Ovitamon Ng & Takeda, 1992, are described from the islands of Mindoro and Panay, Philippines. The two new species can easily be distinguished from congeners by the morphologies of their carapaces and male first gonopods. Six species of Ovitamon are now known from the islands of central and western Philippines.

The identity of Chiromantes obtusifrons (Dana, 1851), previously considered widespread in the tropical West Pacific re-gion to the eastern Indian Ocean, is revised and found to be a species-complex. Chiromantes obtusifrons is now considered endemic to the Hawaiian Is., and four new species are described from Guam, Taiwan and Christmas Island. Two species live sympatrically in Taiwan. Species separation is based on carapace and frontal shape and granulation, leg proportions, abdominal somite proportions, and distinctive live colouration.

The family Chasmocarcinidae Serène, 1964, is revised based on the examination of the type material of many of its species as well as unidentified and previously identified material from around the world. The revised family now consists of three subfamilies comprising 16 genera (including eight described as new) and 51 species (including 19 described as new). The subfamily Chasmocarciinae Serène, 1964, consists of Amboplax n. gen. with one species; Angustopelta n. gen. with four species, two of which are new; Camatopsis Alcock & Anderson, 1899, with six species, five of which are new; Chasmocarcinops Alcock, 1900, with one species; Chasmocarcinus Rathbun, 1898, with 11 species, one of which is new; Chinommatia n. gen. with five species, two of which are new; Deltopelta n. gen. with one species; Hephthopelta Alcock, 1899, with two species, one of which is new; Microtopsis Komai, Ng & Yamada, 2012, with two species, one of which is new; Notopelta n. gen. with one species; Statommatia n. gen. with five species, two of which are new; and Tenagopelta n. gen. with three species, two of which are new. The subfamily Megaesthesiinae Števčić, 2005, consists of Alainthesius n. gen. with two species, both of which are new; Megaesthesius Rathbun, 1909, with four species, one of which is new. The subfamily Trogloplacinae Guinot, 1986, consists of Australocarcinus Davie, 1988, with three species, and Trogloplax Guinot, 1986, with one species. A neotype is selected for Chasmocarcinus cylindricus Rathbun, 1901. Three nominal species were found to be junior subjective synonyms of other species: Chasmocarcinus panamensis Serène, 1964, of C. longipes Garth, 1940; Chasmocarcinus rathbuni Bouvier, 1917, of C. typicus Rathbun, 1898; and Hephthopelta superba Boone, 1927, of Deltopelta obliqua (Rathbun, 1898). Thirteen chasmocarcinid genera are exclusively found in the Indo-West Pacific region, one (Chasmocarcinus) in both the Western Atlantic and Tropical Eastern Pacific regions, and two (Deltopelta n. gen. and Amboplax n. gen.) exclusively in the Western Atlantic. Chasmocarcinids are remarkable for occurring from depths exceeding 1000 m to shallow water and completely freshwater habitats: chasmocarcinines and megaesthesiines are found from shallow to deep water marine ecosystems, whereas trogloplacines live in freshwater streams, including cave systems.

A new species of terrestrial potamid crab, Terrapotamon longitarsus, is described from limestone hills in Satun Province in southern Thailand. It is easily distinguished from other Terrapotamon species by its conspicuously long ambulatory legs (all congeners have proportionately short legs), relatively smooth dorsal surface of carapace, transversely narrow male thoracic sternites 1-4, and a characteristically structured male first gonopod.

A new species of Carcinoplax H. Milne Edwards, 1852 (family Goneplacidae) is described from southern India. Carcinoplax fasciata n. sp. is closest to C. specularis Rathbun, 1914, but can be distinguished by its different coloration in life as well as structures of the carapace surface, anterolateral armature, supraorbital margin, chela and male first gonopod.

The poorly known dromiid crab Speodromia platyarthrodes (Stebbing, 1905), endemic to South Africa, is redescribed and figured. Speodromia is unique among dromiids in possessing a large cavity on the anterior part of the sub-branchial region, which is believed to be associated with respiration. The systematics of the genus is discussed and is confirmed to be a member of Dromiinae De Haan, 1833, s. str.

The taxonomy of the Indo-West Pacific aphanodactylid crabs Selwynia sibogae (Tesch, 1918) and S. edmondsoni (Rathbun, 1932) is discussed on the basis of the types, and both species are redescribed and figured. Two new species from Papua New Guinea and French Polynesia respectively, are described and compared with congeners. All are symbionts in polychaete tubes. A key to the genus Selwynia is also provided. The poorly known genus Gandoa Kammerer, 2006, is redescribed on the basis of the rediscovered the type species, Voeltzkowia zanzibarensis Lenz, 1905. The lectotype female of Pinnixa brevipes H. Milne Edwards, 1853, is examined and shown to be a senior subjective synonym of G. zanzibarensis.

Two new genera of palaemonid prawns are described from South and Southeast Asia. The new genera are allied to Macrobrachium Bate, 1868, but can easily be separated by having a slender and glabrous second pereiopod, a long fifth pereiopod which is distinctly longer than the second pereiopod, a bilobed posterolateral margin of the fifth abdominal pleurite, the presence of one or two pairs of plumose setae at the ventroposterior margin of the telson, the absence of anterior lobes on male thoracic sternite 8 and distinctly larger adult females than males. Arachnochium gen. nov. (type species Palaemon mirabilis Kemp, 1917), can be distinguished from Tenuipedium gen. nov. (type species Macrobrachium palaemonoides Holthuis, 1950) by having a relatively shorter branchiostegal groove running from the base of the hepatic spine to the antennal carapace margin below the antennal spine, and having plumose setae which are longer than the inner pair of spines on the ventroposterior margin of the telson.

Re-examination of the type material of Palaemon javanicus Heller, 1862, shows that the current concept of the species is wrong. This species is in fact a senior subjective synonym of a widespread Southeast Asian species now known as Macrobrachium trompii (De Man, 1898). The species now commonly referred to as “Macrobrachium javanicum” following De Man (1879) from Southeast Asia is in fact, undescribed, and is here named Macrobrachium duri spec. nov. Macrobrachium duri spec. nov. can easily be distinguished from M. javanicum sensu stricto by the presence of a small triangular median process on the fourth thoracic sternite, possessing spinulate third to fifth pereiopods, having both second periopods covered with spines and few scattered short stiff setae, and the eggs been small and numerous. To add to the confusion, Palaemon javanicus Heller, 1862, is also synonymous with P. sundaicus Heller, 1862, and both were described by Heller (1862) in the same paper, making both names simultaneously available. As first revisors, we hereby choose P. sundaicus Heller, 1862, to have priority over P. javanicus Heller, 1862, when the two names are considered to be synonyms. Palaemon sundaicus Heller, 1862, is therefore also the senior synonym of Macrobrachium trompii (De Man, 1898).

Three species of camptandriid crabs (Crustacea: Brachyura: Ocypodoidea) are reported from Iraq: Tylodiplax indica Alcock, 1900, Manningis arabicum (Jones & Clayton, 1983) and Nasima dotilliformis (Alcock, 1900), all new records for the country. The taxonomy of the three species is treated in detail. Tylodiplax indica Alcock, 1900, is here referred to Opusia new genus, differing from Tylodiplax De Man, 1895, by numerous carapace and male gonopod characters. Manningis arabicum (Jones & Clayton, 1983) and Nasima dotilliformis (Alcock, 1900) are redescribed from the types or topotypic material, and more differences with allied genera recorded and discussed. An allied genus from Kuwait, Leptochryseus Al-Khayat & Jones, 1996, is shown to be a valid taxon. Nasima is shown to be very close to Leptochryseus, sharing important thoracic sternal, male abdominal and male first gonopod characters, differing only in carapace features and adults of Leptochryseus being sexually dimorphic in their chelipeds.

The marsh crab, Sartoriana rokitanskyi (Pretzmann, 1971) (Brachyura, Gecarcinucidae), is recorded from near a hot spring in Geno, southern Iran. The taxonomy of the species, including differences with the allied S. blanfordi (Alcock, 1909), is discussed. Notes on its ecology are also provided.

A new species of Medaeops Guinot, 1967, is described from the western coast of Selangor, Peninsular Malaysia. Medaeops potens new species, is only the second species of the genus known to occur in this region, and is most similar to another relatively common western Pacific species, M. granulosus (Haswell, 1882), particularly by having a cristate anterior margin on the merus of the ambulatory legs. It can easily be distinguished from M. granulosus and other congeners on the characters of the carapace, chelipeds, ambulatory legs and male gonopods. The taxonomy of Leptodius granulosus Haswell, 1882, is also stabilized by the assignment of a lectotype from the existing type material.

The pea crabs of the family Pinnotheridae De Haan, 1833, have traditionally been recognised on the basis of their simplified external morphology, modified third maxillipeds, and general habit of living in association with invertebrate hosts, usually bivalve molluscs. Recent morphological and molecular studies of Pinnotheridae show that it is not a natural group as traditionally conceived. The subfamily Asthenognathinae Stimpson, 1858, actually belongs in the Varunidae H. Milne Edwards, 1853, and the subfamily Tritodynamiinae Števčić, 2005, is part of the Macrophthalmidae Dana, 1851. However, several ‘pinnotherid’ genera that are superficially similar to asthenognathines and allied to Aphanodactylus Tesch, 1918, appear to form a discrete group, but lack the chief synapomorphy of Pinnotheridae, namely, the highly modified maxilliped 3. Moreover, Aphanodactylus and allies do not share synapomorphies with of any presently recognised thoracotreme family. A new family, Aphanodactylidae, is therefore established for Aphanodactylus, Gandoa Kammerer, 2006, Uruma Naruse, Fujita & Ng, 2009, and a new genus and species described herein, Gustavus mecognathus. Aphanodactylids (where known) are symbiotic with terebellid polychaete worms and share short, stout, ambulatory legs with one or more spines lining the flexor margins of the ischiomeri of at least some of the ambulatory legs; a row of distal flexor spines on the ambulatory propodi opposing a claw-like dactylus; very short ambulatory dactyli that are less than half the respective propodus length; and marked sexual dimorphism in which the female is distinctly wider than the male. The phylogenetic position of Aphanodactylidae remains to be determined but the morphology of the third maxillipeds and the position of the male gonopore suggests that it may belong in the Pinnotheroidea, to which it is tentatively assigned. Each genus of the Aphanodactylidae is diagnosed and illustrated, and a key to the genera provided.

The Indo-West Pacific sesarmid genus Selatium Serène & Soh, 1970, is revised, and two wide-ranging species are recognized, S. brockii (De Man, 1887) and S. elongatum (A. Milne-Edwards, 1869). A new genus, Lithoselatium, which superficially resembles Selatium, is described, and two new species are recognized: L. pulchrum n. sp. from Taiwan, and L. kusu n. sp. from Singapore and nearby areas. Their relationship is discussed using both morphological and molecular datasets.

Twenty-two species of calappoid and leucosioid crabs were identified among the material collected off Aurora Province, western coast of Luzon, Philippines, in 1987. This includes two new species of calappids, Mursia aurorae n. sp., and M. steinhardti n. sp. Two leucosioid species are new records for the Philippines: Iphiculus convexus Ihle, 1918 (Iphiculidae), and Myra digitata Galil, 2004 (Leucosiidae).

A new genus and new species of symbiotic pinnotheroid crab is described from Oura Bay, Okinawa, Japan. The new genus is superficially similar to the pinnotherine Sakaina and several pinnothereliine genera (Pinnotheridae), but shares key diagnostic characters (third maxillipeds, orbits, ambulatory legs, male abdomen, telson and male first gonopod) with Aphanodactlyus and Gandoa. Together with Aphanodactlyus and Gandoa, the new genus is tentatively placed in the Pinnotheridae sensu lato.

Two new species of sesarmid crabs of the genus Parasesarma De Man, 1895, are described from mangrove forests in Southeast Asia. Parasesarma paucitorum n. sp. is described from northern Sulawesi and is allied to P. leptosoma (Hilgendorf, 1869) but differs from the latter in the form of its carapace, leg proportions, the structure of the tubercles on the cheliped dactylus, and the male first pleopods. Parasesarma raouli n. sp. is described from southern Peninsular Malaysia and is differentiated from the allied P. charis Rahayu & Ng, 2005, and P. anambas Yeo, Rahayu & Ng, 2004, by the number and form of the tubercles on the cheliped dacylus, the shape of the male abdomen and structure of the male first pleopods.

Several species of rarely reported deep-sea homolid crabs are recorded from various locations in the western Pacific: Homola ikedai, H. mieensis, H. coriolisi, Homolomannia occlusa, Homolochunia kullar, H. valdiviae, H. gadaletae, Lamoha superciliosa, L. longipes, L. longirostris, L. inflata and Yaldwynopsis saguili. Two new species are described as new, Homolochunia menezi n. sp., from the Solomon Islands and Latreillopsis trispinosa n. sp. from the Philippines.

The second species of the deepwater holothuriophilus pinnotherid genus, Alain Manning, 1998, A. raymondi sp. nov., is described from the Philippines. Alain was originally, but erroneously diagnosed as having a 6-segmented male abdomen. All species of Alain, however, have a 7-segmented abdomen in both sexes; the generic diagnosis is emended. An unusual feature of species of Alain is male androgyny, a phenomenon otherwise known among pinnotherids only from Nepinnotheres androgynous Manning, 1993b. We also take the opportunity to report the first case of male androgyny in Pinnotheres novaezelandiae Filhol, 1885, a New Zealand species that is herein transferred to Nepinnotheres. Among pinnotherids, androgynous males are now known from four species in two genera. Little is known of the biology of most pinnotherids, and androgyny may be significantly more prevalent than currently recognized.