Decapoda - Brachyura - Leucosiidae - Nucia

Nucia speciosa Dana, 1852

3 Illustration(s)

World Distribution
MASDEA/AfReMas, Poupin (Internet) - Indo-Ouest Pacifique. Mer Rouge, Maurice à Philippines, Japon, Hawaii, Wallis & Futuna, French Polynesia. Also Mayotte. 41-293 m in Castro (2011).
(Galil & Ng, 2020, TDSB 31) - Red Sea to Hawaii (Chen 1989); new record for Papua New Guinea.

(Galil & Ng, 2023, Tropical Deep-Sea Benthos) - Red Sea to French Polynesia, Hawaii (Galil & Ng 2020). Newly recorded for Madagascar.

Environnement : Marine - Substrat/Association : Soft bottom (mud or sand)

Vertical range : Shallow-waters (0-100 m) - Min-Max observed: 1-293 m

Mayotte data
Nucia speciosa Dana, 1852
Material examined — Mayotte KUW 2009, st. 25, south Islet M'tzamboro, 15-20 m, 1 F 4 x 5 mm, MNHN-IU-2013-7219; st. 26, Mutsumbatsou reef flat, intertidal at low tide, 1 F 4.2 x 5.1 mm, MNHN-IU-2013-7221, in École Navale/IRENav collection, September 2017.
Remarks — Carapace of the specimens examined from Mayotte is more angular than on Nucia speciosa typical which make them rather similar to Nucia rosea Nobili, 1906 currently reported only from French Polynesia with a photo of the type specimen (1 M 8.4 x 10.7 mm from Gambier, Mangareva Island) in Legall & Poupin (2018). The 'angular' aspect of carapace of Mayotte specimens is perhaps due to their juvenile condition. Therefore, as N. speciosa is a species common in the IWP, already reported in WIO (Réunion, Mauritius), it seems better to consider that they are N. speciosa until N. speciosa and N. rosea can be carefully compared.
Geographic and depth ranges — IWP, Red Sea, Mayotte (this work) to Hawaii, French Polynesia; intertidal to subtidal and bathyal, 41-293 m (cf. Castro, 2011).

Réunion data
Nucia speciosa - Réunion (first record) - Program BIOLAVE, ARVAM, J.-P. Quod, photo, plate A. Barrère (pl. Q5).

New Caledonia data
Nucia speciosa - A. Milne-Edwards, 1874: 44, New Caledonia, coll. M.E. Marie, M. Jouan.

Nouvelle Caledonie, STATION — Ng P.K.L & Richer de Forges B., Compendium of marine species from New Caledonia: 315-332

Central Pacific data (Wallis & Futuna, Polynesia, Clipperton, Easter Island)
WALLIS & FUTUNA - Nucia speciosa - Poupin & Juncker, in preparation (Futuna). - FRENCH POLYNESIA - Nucia speciosa. - Salvat & Bacchet, 2011: 246, photo, field guide 'Au Vent des Iles Ed. Tahiti - French Polynesia, most often Society (Moorea, Tahiti).

Other data
Musorstom 3 Philippines, DR137 — Chen H, Musorstom 5, 144: 181-263

References : PDF list, 214 pp (1.4 Mo)

This species in Worms Database