Decapoda - Anomura - Chirostylidae - Uroptychus
| Uroptychus fenneri Baba & Wicksten, 2017 |
World Distribution
Florida, Cuba, West Indies (Chace, 1942). 201 (this database) -915 m.
Baba & Wicksten (2017) - Off east coast of Florida (off St. Augustine), northeastern and southwestern Gulf of Mexico, north coast of Cuba, Guadeloupe, Barbados, Grenada and off northern Columbia; 201–914 m.
Environnement : Marine - Substrat/Association : Associated with corals (obligate)
Vertical range : Deep (more than 100 m) - Min-Max observed: 201-915 m
Lesser Antilles data
Distribution: Florida, Cuba, West Indies (Chace, 1942). Lesser Antilles, ICA (Guadeloupe, Barbados, Grenada), 201-915 m. WA
Uroptychus nitidus variety A, Chace, 1942: 14, Barbados, Grenada [R/V Blake].
Uroptychus nitidus variety A - Guadeloupe (first record), Karubenthos II 2015, field det. J. Poupin/K. Baba st. DW4592, 22 June 2015, 15°58.74'N, 61°21.82'W, 214-201 m, MNHN-IU-2013-19018 [small cornea, yellow]
Uroptychus fenneri Baba & Wicksten, 2017: 261, Guadeloupe, Barbados, Grenada [Guadeloupe, from Karubenthos 2015].
Uroptychus fenneri Baba & Wicksten, 2017: 261, Guadeloupe, Barbados, Grenada,
Comment: In Uroptychus nitidus the rostrum is distinctly longer than eyes. Chace (1942: 11) indicates that 'the species is either extremely variable or that it is made up of a complex of about four species or subspecies'. During Karubenthos II two varieties described by Chace were recognized: variety A with cornea yellow, smaller than diameter of ocular peduncle; and variety B, with cornea brown-red, larger than diameter of ocular peduncle. Additionally, coloration of variety A, 1 red line on rostrum and 2 red lines laterally on anterior carapace behind the ocular peduncles, is distinct from variety B that has no such lines. With this new record the minimum depth of variety A is set 201-214 m instead of previously 433 m (237 fathoms) in Chace (1942). It is probable that U. nitidus typical was also collected during Karubenthos II Expedition although not recognized on photos examined herein, because this species is largely distributed in Lesser Antilles, including Guadeloupe Island (cf. Chace, 1942). K. Baba that has helped with determination is currently revising this Uroptychus nitidus complex with M. Wicksten (pers. com., August, 2015, var. A described as U. fenneri in 2017).
Comment(s) on data
Comment K. Baba, mail 15/09/2015 - and Mary Wicksten have been revising the Uroptychus nitidus complex. Examining numerous specimens including the syntypes in the collection of the Museum of Comparative Zoology at Harvard, we have come to the conclusion that Uroptychus nitidus typical form of Chace (1942) should be the true U. nitidus; Uroptychus nitidus variety A of Chace is a new species (U. fenneri n. sp. in our manuscript) and your photo 2 will be this species (please confirm that the antennal scale exceeds the antennal peduncle); U. nitidus variety B of Chace is also a new species (U. janiceae n. sp. in our ms), and your photo 1 specimen will be this species, which is characterized by having long pereopod 1 fingers; U. nitidus variety C of Chace is another new species. Part of the syntypes of U. nitidus that Chace (1942) identified as U. uncifer is different from U. uncifer, representing an undescribed species. In addition, we have additional two new species, both resemble U. nitidus.
May I suggest that the tentative naming of yours be:
Photo 1 specimen (large cornea, brown) = Uroptychus nitidus variety B of Chace (1942) [U. janiceae n. sp., Baba & Wicksten, MS]
Photo 2 specimen (small cornea, yellow-light brown) = Uroptychus nitidus variety A of Chace (1942) [U. fenneri n. sp., Baba & Wicksten, MS]
References : PDF list, 214 pp (1.4 Mo)This species in Worms Database