Decapoda - Brachyura - Panopeidae - Panopeus

Panopeus lacustris Desbonne, in Desbonne & Schramm, 1867


World Distribution
Felder et al. (2009, Checklist) - Western Atlantic, 0-2 m, Ber, Ga–S GMx, Antil–Brazil. Also introduced to Hawaii (see Williams, 1984: 871). Williams (1984).

Brazil (Pará to Rio de Janeiro)

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

Vertical range : Intertidal - Min-Max observed: 0-2 m

Lesser Antilles data
Distribution: VGI (St Croix), ICA (St Martin, Antigua, Guadeloupe, Barbados, Trinidad), IOV (Margarita, Cubagua, Los Roques, Bonaire, Curaçao, Aruba). 0-2 m. WA.
Panopeus lacustris Desbonne, 1867: 28, Guadeloupe [type locality Guadeloupe; Habite les lagunes de la Guadeloupe, se tient caché sous les pierres]. - Williams, 1984: 868, St Croix, Antigua, Barbados, Trinidad, Netherlands Antilles.
Panopeus herbstii - A. Milne-Edwards, 1873-1880: 308, pl. 57, fig. 2, Guadeloupe [from P. lacustris, in Desbonne]. - Rathbun, 1920a: 19, St Martin, Bonaire, Curaçao, Aruba [coll. J. Boeke]. - Rathbun, 1921: 69, Antigua, Barbados [Barbados-Antigua Expedition 1918]. - Rathbun, 1924: 14, Curaçao [coll. C.J. van der Horst, 1920; not P. herbstii H. Milne Edwards, fide Williams, 1983: 868]. - Chace, 1956: 156, Los Roques. - Chace & Hobbs, 1969: 154, St Croix, St Martin, Antigua, Guadeloupe, Barbados, Trinidad, Los Roques, Bonaire, Curacao, Aruba [records from Virgin Islands and Lesser Antilles are P. lacustris]. - Rodríguez, 1980: 359, Margarita, Bonaire, Curaçao, Aruba [probably P. lacustris, not P. herbstii, Margarita; also Curaçao, Aruba, Bonaire from Rathbun, 1930). - Hernández-Ávila et al., 2007: tab. 1, Cubagua [Probably P. lacustris, not P. herbstii]. - Vaslet et al., 2013: 245, annex 3, Guadeloupe [from Bourgeois-Lebel 1982, not seen: probably P. lacustris, not P. herbstii] - All probably not Panopeus herbstii H. Milne Edwards, 1834 but Panopeus lacustris Desbonne, in Desbonne & Schramm, 1867 (see comment).
Panopeus herbstii forma crassa A. Milne-Edwards - Rathbun, 1930: 342, Antigua, Barbados, Trinidad, also ?Aruba, Bonaire, Curaçao ('between forma obesa and crassa'). - Rathbun, 1936: 385, Curaçao [coll. P. Hummelinck, 1930] - See comment.
Panopeus lacustris - Saint Martin, RNN Inventory, 15/04/2012 (det. From photo J. Poupin, 2014), UF32123, photo dSTM_5456, UF32124, photo dSTM_5466; 20/04/2012, UF32326, photo dSTM_3823. - Guadeloupe, Karubenthos 2012, det. J. Poupin, April 2014, with Rathbun (1930, key) and D. Felder remarks (first identification erroneous, as P. occidentalis), 1 female 26.4 x 36.1 mm, lot JL80, photo, 1 male 28.8 x 40.0 mm, JL112 (photos including pleopod) (pre-det as P. hartii, P. occidentalis), 1 female, JL79a, 2 males, 3 females, photo different sizes, JL113b, st. GM03, 1 m; 1 female 13.7 x 17.3 mm, JL184, st. GM05, 1 m; 1 female 18.8 x 25.3 mm, JL806 (photo), st. GM15, 1 m (note J. Poupin, September 2016, no MNHN indicated).
Comment: This crab is common in Guadeloupe, often associated with mangroves. It is also reported as introduced to Hawaii (Williams, 1983). Rathbun (1930) has considered P. lacustris as a synonym of Panopeus herbstii H. Milne Edwards, 1834, but Williams (1983) has partitioned P. herbstii s.l. into 6 distinct species and has ressurected P. lacustris. The later also indicate that P. herbstii forma crassa in Ratbhun (1930, 1933) is the same as P. lacustris Desbonne. Determination of juveniles from Guadeloupe (Karubenthos 2012) was difficult with possible confusion between P. lacustris and P. occidentalis.

French Guiana and surroundings areas: Guiana, Suriname, Brazil (Amapà)
Panopeus herbstii – Holthuis, 1959a: 207, Suriname. Not Panopeus herbstii H. Milne Edwards, 1834 but Panopeus lacustris Desbonne in Williams (1983: 868).
Distribution/Habitat – WA; Marine (Intertidal); 0–2 m.

Comment(s) on data
Determination of Guadeloupe specimens - Using Rathbun's key, the character 'dark color of immovable finger continued more or less on palm, especially in male' is not verified. Others characters lead to P. herbstii forma crassa. Using Williams (1983: 877) key, Guadeloupe spp. key out to P. lacustris, but with characters sometimes difficult to evaluate. Determination is also based on geographic location, P. lacustris being described from Guadeloupe Island. The transverse striation on carapace (especially 2 strong protogastric ridges) is useful to quickly sort specimens on the field as the shape of anterolateral teeth and general aspect of carapace is rather polymorphic depending on the size (see photos of 5 spp. of different sizes at GM37).
According to Rathbun, 1930: 338, P. herbstii H. Milne Edwards, 1834 is the 'more northern than any other' subspecies she lists in the P. herbstii complex: American coast of Massachusetts, South Carolina, Florida, Bermuda).

References : PDF list, 214 pp (1.4 Mo)

This species in Worms Database