New species of spider crab from Arabian Sea

Kasagia sudhakari

Phylum: Arthropoda

Class: Malacostraca Latreille, 1802

Order: Decapoda Latreille, 1802

Family: Majidae Samouelle, 1819

Kasagia sudhakari Padate, Manjebrayakath & P.K.L. Ng, 2019

Collection: SE Arabian Sea, continental shelf off Cape Comorin – 7.44°N, 77.60°E, 109 m, 30.5.2015 (FORVSS 340, St. 27). Naturalist’s dredge.

Voucher No.: CMLRE IO/SS/BRC/00068 and IO/SS/BRC/00069

Description: Carapace with posterior part distinctly wider, branchial region distinctly swollen; supraorbital eave not overlapping postorbital spine; hepatic tooth slightly conical, its anterior margin gently concave, posterior margin convex; lateral branchial margins with longer, prominent tubercles and spines; inter-antennular spine triangular. Cheliped length slightly more than two times postrostral CL, propodus dorsal margin with 5 blunt spinules. Ventral margin of ambulatory merus lined with many sharp granules. Gonopod 1 slender, distal tip slender, margin folded with disto-lateral opening appearing in sternal view.

Biological association: None.

Remarks: First distributional record of the genus Kasagia Richer de Forges & P.K.L. Ng, 2007 from the Indian Ocean.

Distribution: Continental shelf off southern India (known only from type locality). Depth range: 109–113 m.

Distribution map:

 

Identified by: Vinay P. Padate

Publication: Padate V.P., Manjebrayakath M., Ng P.K.L. (2019) Kasagia sudhakari, a new species of deep-sea spider crab (Crustacea: Brachyura: Majidae) from the southeastern Arabian Sea. Marine Biology Research, 15 (3): 290–296. DOI: 10.1080/17451000.2019.1637527

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