Decapoda - Brachyura - Xanthidae - Paractaea

Paractaea rufopunctata (H. Milne Edwards, 1834)



World Distribution
Serène (1984: 123) - IWP. P. rufopunctata sensu lato has a wide distribution but it is a complex of species. Include Madagascar, Comoros (Mayotte), Réunion, French Polynesia.
(Mendoza, 2023, Tropical Deep-Sea Benthos) - Madagascar, Comoros (Moheli) - 82-241 m

Environnement : Marine - Substrat/Association : Hard bottom (rock and rubbles)

Vertical range : Shallow to deep-waters (e.g. 10-190 m) - Min-Max observed: 0-241 m

Mayotte data
Paractaea rufopunctata (H. Milne Edwards, 1834) s.l.
Material examined — Mayotte KUW 2009, st. 3a, Trévani fringing reef, 1-8 m, 1 M 7.5 x 10.9, MNHN-IU-2009-2669, det. July 2011; st. 12c, La Prévoyante Reef at night, 6-11 m, 1 M 14.8 x 30.3 mm, MNHN B32446, MNHN-IU-2009-1208; st. 12a., 1 F juv. 4.6 x 6.5 mm, det. July 2011 (with hesitation, P. retusa possible), MNHN-IU-2009-2673 (photo live); st. 14, La Prudente Bank, 15-17 m, 1 M 15.0 x 21.7 mm, photo, verified September 2011, MNHN B32286, MNHN-IU-2009-1104; st. 20b, Islet M'tzamboro, western reef flat, 10-15 m, 1 juv., det. September 2011, MNHN-IU-2009-2672; st. 23, Choizil Pass, "Patate à Teddy", 15-30 m, 1 F 12 x 17.4 mm, MNHN B32449, MNHN-IU-2009-1211, 1 M 6.2 x 9.4 mm, MNHN-IU-2009-2674, det. July 2011; st. 26, Mutsumbatsou reef flat, intertidal at low tide, 2 MM same size 17.2 x 24 mm, photo, MNHN B32448, MNHN-IU-2009-1210; st. 26c, Mutsumbatsou reef flat, coll. Bouchard 03/08/2008, intertidal 1 M 15.8 x 23.0 mm, 1 F 15.1 x 21.7 mm (with 1 M, 1 F of P. retusa), MNHN-IU-2009-2668, det. Septembre 2011; st. 27, Islet Mbouzi, 'patate Sud-Est', 4-20 m, 1 F 5.7 x 8.2 mm, MNHN-IU-2009-2667, det. Poupin July 2011; st. 32, Islet M'tzamboro, north-east, 6-21 m, 1 F 14.8 x 21 mm, MNHN B32447, MNHN-IU-2009-1209; st. 35, Surprise Reef, Longoni Pass, 4-25 m, 1 F 14.8 x 20.9 mm, det. September 2011, MNHN-IU-2009-2670.
Other records — Paractaea rufopunctata f. frontalis nov. - Serène, 1984: 123, pl. XVI B, Mayotte, intertidal, coll. A. Crosnier September 1959, 1 M 19 x 27 mm, MNHN-B 6565 (Ng et al., 2008: 196 indicate that this form is not valid). - Poupin, 2016: Juan de Nova, photo archives ARVAM, reef-block.
Remarks — Paractaea rufopunctata s.l. is a species complex with several form identified in Serène (1984). Live coloration show a characteristic pattern of red or brown patches on carapace (see photos in Legall & Poupin, 2018).
Geographic and depth ranges — IWP, Red Sea, South Africa to Hawaii, French Polynesia; intertidal, subtidal.

Paractaea rufopunctata - Mendoza, 2023, Tropical Deep-Sea Benthos: 127, Appendix, Comoros. BIOMAGLO Stn DW4836, southeast of Moheli, 12°25’S, 43°56’E, 82-88 m, 28 Jan. 2017, 1 juv., 7.5 by 5.4 mm (MNHN-IU-2017-8808). - 82-235 m

Réunion data
Xantho rufo-punctatus - A. Milne-Edwards, 1862, annexe F : 4 (Réunion, coll. Maillard). - Paractaea rufopunctata rufopunctata - Serène, 1984 : 122 (Cite la référence de A. Milne-Edwards sous cette espèce). - Mission Poupin, avril 2008 (D'après photographie du programme BIOTAS). - Réunion, photo in situ P. Bourjon, May 2015, det. P. Bourjon, J. Poupin from photo.

Central Pacific data (Wallis & Futuna, Polynesia, Clipperton, Easter Island)
Actaea rufopunctata - Nobili, 1907: 392 (Marutea). - Rathbun, 1907: 43 (Makemo, Tahiti). - Odhner, 1925: 60 (Tahiti). - Forest & Guinot, 1962: 64 (Biogeography "Tahiti-Tuamotu"). - Paractaea rufopunctata form plumosa - Guinot, 1969: 248, fig. 21 (Marutea). - Paractaea rufopunctata - Guinot, 1985: 451 (List). - Poupin, 1996a: 44 (Checklist). - Moorea Biocode project (plus Paractaea aff. rufopunctata). - Paractaea rufopunctata s.l. - AAMP, Marquesas, 2012, Leg 2, coll. & photo Evans, St 19, Ua Huka, 20 m; Leg 3, coll. Starmer et coll., St MQ1-R, hors grotte, Nuku Hiva, 8-10 m, sample JP9 (photo), sample JP19, St. MQ27-B, Hatu Iti, 5-22 m, coll. Albenga et al., sample LC361. - Salvat & Bacchet, 2011: 250, photo, field guide 'Au Vent des Iles Ed. Tahiti - French Polynesia, most often Society (Moorea, Tahiti).

Comment(s) on data
Felder et al. (2009, Checklist) include this IWP species in Western Atlantic with mention of P. nodosa Stimpson (note 414).

References : PDF list, 214 pp (1.4 Mo)

This species in Worms Database