Rochinia despereaux Lee & Forges & Ng 2019, n. sp.
Creators: name: Lee, Bee Yan
name: Forges, Bertrand Richer De
name: Ng, Peter K. L.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2019
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Malacostraca
Decapoda
Epialtidae
Rochinia
Rochinia despereaux

description: Rochinia despereaux n. sp.
(Figs. 6D, E, 8 A–C, 9E–H)
Material examined. Holotype: male (15.2 × 10.1 mm) (MNHN-IU-2011-3878) [photographed], stn CP3653, west of New Hanover Island, New Ireland Province, Papua New Guinea, 2°13’S 150°23’E, 680–700 m, coll. BIOPAPUA, 28 August 2010. Paratypes: 1 ovigerous female (17.2 × 11.5 mm) (MNHN-IU-2014-18616), stn CP4483, New Ireland, Papua New Guinea, 02°42’S 150°02’E, 827–966 m, coll. KAVIENG 2014, 5 September 2014.— 1 ovigerous female (16.0 × 10.4 mm) (ZRC 2018.1490, ex. MNHN-IU- 2013-2277) [photographed], stn CP4250, southeast of Admiralty Islands, Bismarck Sea, Papua New Guinea, 03°31’S 148°04’E, 780–855 m, coll. MADEEP Expedition, 23 April 2014.
Diagnosis. Carapace pyriform. Pseudorostral spines straight, diverging, V-shaped. Supraorbital eave fused to carapace pre-orbital angle sharp; postorbital lobe cup-like, fused with hepatic spine forming L-shape lobe flattened at side (Fig. 8C). Carapace covered with small granules and 4 distinct spines; 1 cardiac spine, 2 long lateral branchial spines; 1 posterior spine medially, row of granules along posterior margin of carapace (Figs. 6D, E, 8A). Antennal flagellum longer than pseudorostral spines. Basal antennal article longer than broad, stout, distal angle rounded. Buccal frame covered by third maxilliped. Pterygostomial region with 3 or 4 distinct granules on outer margin (Fig. 8B). Chelipeds slender, propodus carinate on margin; carpus with carina on outer margin; merus triangular in cross-section, carinate on outer margin. Ambulatory legs slender, edges with long bulbous setae; P2 longest. Male thoracic sternum with sternites 3 and 4 depressed medially; sternites 3 and 4 with margin slightly constricted. Male pleon triangular, with telson and all 6 somites free (Fig. 8B). Adult female pleon rounded, with all 6 somites and telson free. G1 straight, slightly constricted near distal third, distal tip sharp (Fig. 9 E–H).
Coloration. Carapace and chelipeds whitish-pink to pink (Fig. 6D, E)
Etymology. The species is named after the fictional mouse character, Despereaux Tilling (The Tale of Despereaux), of whose big ears the new species’ ear-like hepatic lobes reminded the present authors. The name is used as a noun.
Remarks. Rochinia despereaux n. sp. is morphologically similar to the species that were identified as “ R. sibogae Griffin & Tranter, 1986 ” and “ R. strangeri Seréne & Lohavanijaya, 1973 ”, by Richer de Forges & Poore (2008: fig. 2c) from Western Australia. The present authors have examined this Western Australian material and found that it comprises one species, with the differences observed by Richer de Forges & Poore (2008) being sizerelated. Furthermore, this Western Australian species is distinct from both R. sibogae and R. strangeri, and will be described as a new species separately. Rochinia sibogae sensu stricto was described from the Ceram Sea (Griffin & Tranter 1986b: 363–366, fig. 12) while R. strangeri sensu stricto was described from the South China Sea (Seréne & Lohavanijaya 1973: 57–58, figs. 123–128, pl. 11 fig. B–C; Lee et al. 2017: 17–19, figs. 7B, 9A–F, 11A–D).
Compared to this undescribed Western Australian species, R. despereaux n. sp. has a distinctly more granulated carapace (Figs. 6D, E, 8A) (versus lack of carapace granulation; cf. Richer de Forges & Poore 2008: fig. 2c, d); the hepatic spine is slender, sharp and directed upwards (Fig. 8C) (versus hepatic spine laterally slightly flattened and slightly curving upwards; cf. Richer de Forges & Poore 2008: fig. 2c, d).
description: Published as part of Lee, Bee Yan, Forges, Bertrand Richer De & Ng, Peter K. L., 2019, Deep-sea spider crabs of the family Epialtidae MacLeay, 1838, from Papua New Guinea, with a redefinition of Tunepugettia Ng, Komai & Sato, 2017, and descriptions of two new genera (Crustacea: Decapoda: Brachyura: Majoidea), pp. 1-44 in Zootaxa 4619 (1) on pages 15-16, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4619.1.1, http://zenodo.org/record/3248363