Decapoda - Anomura - Porcellanidae - Polyonyx

Polyonyx boucheti Osawa, 2007

2 Illustration(s)

World Distribution
Comoro (Mayotte), New Caledonia (Loyalty Islands).

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

Vertical range : Shallow-waters (0-100 m) - Min-Max observed: 6-20 m

Mayotte data
Polyonyx sp. nov. aff. boucheti Osawa - Mission KUW novembre 2009, st. 12, Récif La Prévoyante, 6-11 m, 1 femelle ovigère 2,20x3,24 mm (photo 'Polyonyx-ov-lc2-3st12.jpg'), MNHN-Ga7465 ; st. 25, Ilot M'tzamboro, Pointe Sud, 15-20 m, 1 femelle ovigère 1,90x2,89 mm (cassée), MNHN-Ga7466. These two specimens have been re-examined by M. Osawa, October 24, 2012, and in the end are attributed to Polyonyx boucheti (see comments by Osawa, mail October 24, 2012)

Comment(s) on data
omments by Osawa, mail October 24, 2012 - I have examined 2 Polyonyx specimens from Mayotte. They belong to P. boucheti Osawa, 2007 because of having all diagnostic characters of the species, including the possession of delicate short striae on the entire carapace surface. There seem to be no positive distinctions between the Mayotte specimens and the type material from the Loyalty Islands.
I also re-examined 2 specimens from Maldives which I had referred as to P. utinomii in my paper (Osawa, 2001). The specimens actually have characters diagnostic to P. utinomii and distinguishing from those of P. boucheti as follows: the rostrum has short setae on the frontal margin and the median lobe is rather distinctly produced, the merus of the cheliped has the flexor marginal lobe which is very broad and is rounded rather than rectangular in shape, and the ambulatory legs bear short setae on the extensor margins.

References : PDF list, 214 pp (1.4 Mo)

This species in Worms Database