New species of reef-associated squat lobster from Arabian Sea, India

Phylum: Arthropoda

Class: Malacostraca Latreille, 1802

Order: Decapoda Latreille, 1802

Family: Galatheidae Samouelle, 1819

Nanogalathea longispina Tiwari, Padate, Cubelio & Osawa, 2024

Collection: SE Arabian Sea, west of Kollam, Kerala, 8.90°N, 76.02°E, 95 m, date NA (FORVSS 236, St. 16), Naturalist dredge.

Voucher No.: CMLRE IO/SS/ANO/00147, IO/SS/ANO/00158

Description: Carapace with weak transverse ridges, but without spines on dorsal surface; gastric region with 3 transverse ridges, epigastric and metagastric ridges uninterrupted, protogastric ridge medially interrupted. Lateral margins convex, with 6 spines; anterior and posterior branchial margins with 3 and 2 spines, respectively. Rostrum triangular, lateral margins nearly straight and smooth. Pleonal somite 2 with 2 uninterrupted transverse ridges; somite 3 with 2 transverse ridges, anterior ridge uninterrupted, posterior ridge medially interrupted. Antennular article 1 with ventromedial spine largest among 4 distal marginal spines, distolateral spine smallest; lateral margin unarmed. Antennal article 1 with distomesial spine overreaching distal margin of article 4. Mxp3 merus with 2 strong spines on flexor margin. Male gonopods present only on pleonal somite 2.

Biological association: None.

Remarks: New species of reef-associated squat lobster from Indian waters.

Distribution: Southeastern Arabian Sea. Depth range: 95 m.

Distribution map:

Identified by: Shivam Tiwari

Publication: Tiwari S., Padate V.P., Cubelio S.S., Osawa M. (2024) Galatheoid squat lobsters (Crustacea: Decapoda: Anomura) from the epipelagic bottom of the Indian Exclusive Economic Zone, with descriptions of five new species. Zootaxa, 5501 (2): 291–314.

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