Decapoda - Anomura - Paguridae - Pylopagurus

Pylopagurus discoidalis (A. Milne-Edwards, 1880)



World Distribution
Felder et al. (2009, Checklist) - Western Atlantic. North Carolina, Florida, Gulf Mexico, Carribean Sea, Brazil. 11-433/1020. French Guiana.
Lemaitre & Tavares (2015, Zootaxa) - Western Atlantic: southeastern coast of United States (North Carolina to Florida), Gulf of Mexico, Caribbean Sea, to Santa Catarina, Brazil. Depth: 11 to 1020 m.

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

Vertical range : Shallow to deep-waters (e.g. 10-190 m) - Min-Max observed: 11-1020 m

Lesser Antilles data
Distribution: southeastern coast of United States, from North Carolina to Florida, Gulf of Mexico, Caribbean Sea, to Santa Catarina, Brazil (Lemaitre & Tavares, 2015). VGI (St Croix), ICA (Montserrat, Guadeloupe, St Lucia, St Vincent, Barbados), IOV (Curaçao). 11-1020 m. WA.
Eupagurus discoidalis A. Milne-Edwards, 1880a: 41, St Croix, Montserrat, Guadeloupe, St Lucia, St Vincent, Barbados [R/V Blake, 73-508 brasses].
Pylopagurus discoidalis - A. Milne-Edwards & Bouvier, 1893: 76, pl. 6, fig. 7-14, St Croix, Montserrat, Guadeloupe, St Lucia, St Vincent, Barbados [R/V Blake, st. 157, 120 brasses, Montserrat, st. 223, 146 brasses, St Vincent, st. 300, 82 brasses, Barbados, st. 291, 200 brasses, Barbados, st. 275, 103 brasses, Barbados, st. 290, 73 brasses, Barbados, st.136, 508 brasses, St Croix, st. 167, 175 brasses, Guadeloupe, st. 220, 116 brasses, St Lucia]. - McLaughlin & Lemaitre, 2001: 451, Guadeloupe, Montserrat, St Lucia, St Vincent, Barbados [R/V Blake, R/V Pillsbury]. - Lemaitre & Tavares, 2015: 496, Curaçao [CURASUB, 2012, 123-290 m].
Pylopagurus discoidalis - Guadeloupe - Coll. Lamy, 2002-2003, traps & nets 100-300 m, det McLaughlin, 2005 (MNHN).
Barry Brown photos, from CURASUB submersible photos at Curaçao at http://www.coralreefphotos.com/pylopagurus-discoidalis-hermit-crab-in-ballpoint-pen/
Pylopagurus discoidalis - Guadeloupe, Karubenthos II 2015, field det. J. Poupin, st. CP4532, 11 June 2015, 16°30.06'N, 61°37.54'W, 367-362 m, MNHN-IU-2013-18826; st. DW4555, 15 June 2015, 16°23.53'N, 60°49.67'W, 258-100 m, MNHN-IU-2013-18929; st. DW4560, 16 June 2015, 16°25.15'N, 60°51'W, 250-185 m, MNHN-IU-2013-18971 or 18973 [Check specimen, not visible on photo]; st. DW4588 or CP4588, 21 June 2015, 16°1.85'N, 61°24'W, 416-251 m, MNHN-IU-2013-18991; st. DW4597, 22 June 2015, 15°55.47'N, 61°23.48'W, 210-208 m, MNHN-IU-2013-19026.
Pylopagurus ?discoidalies/pattiae - Guadeloupe, Karubenthos II 2015, field det. J. Poupin [Small white specimen with coloration limited to a red ring on distal part of ocular peduncle; antennal acicle seems short, just reaching base of cornea, as in P. pattiae. Perhaps a juvenile of P. discoidalis as maximum depth for P. pattiae is only 82 m], st. DW4616, 25 June 2015, 16°21.1'N, 60°49.51'W, 372-325 m, no MNHN-IU.
Comment: this amazing species that lives in scaphopod shells is easily recognized based on its live coloration, recently illustrated from Curaçao by Lemaitre & Tavares (2015).

French Guiana and surroundings areas: Guiana, Suriname, Brazil (Amapà)
Pylopagurus discoidalis – Bullis & Thompson, 1965: 10, Brazil Amapá [R/V Oregon, st. 2066, 2°40' N, 47°55' W, 110 fathoms, 201 m; st. 2080, 2°04'N, 47°00' W, 125 fathoms, 229 m]. — Coelho, 1969, table 1: Brazil Amapá. — Coelho & Ramos, 1972: 166, Brazil Amapá [95 m]. — Riger, 1998: 415, Brazil Amapá. — Melo, 1999: 144, Brazil Amapá. — Coelho et al., 2007: tab. 4, Brazil Amapá. — Corbari et al., 2015: 165–167, unnumbered tab., French Guiana [also P. cf. discoidalis]. — Lemaitre & Tavares, 2015: 496, Brazil Amapá [From Nucci & Melo (2011), not seen].
Distribution/Habitat – WA; Marine; 11–1020 m.

Comment(s) on data
very nice photographs of this species in tusk shells at
http://nmnh.typepad.com/no_bones/2013/02/charro-and-cowboy-hermit-crabs.html

References : PDF list, 214 pp (1.4 Mo)

This species in Worms Database