Paralomis okitoriensis

Paralomis okitoriensis
Scientific classification
Missing taxonomy template (fix):	Lithodinae
Genus:	Paralomis
Species:	P. okitoriensis
Binomial name
	Paralomis okitoriensis; Takeda, 2019

Paralomis okitoriensis is a species of king crab.^[1] It has been identified near Japan's southernmost atoll, Okinotorishima.^[1]

Appearance

P. okitoriensis is orange-red in colour with a pyriform carapace covered symmetrically in sharp tubercles on its dorsal surface.^[1] The carapace's edges, by contrast, feature sharp spines.^[1] The female holotype's carapace measures 44.2 mm (1.74 in) long and 43.5 mm (1.71 in) wide.^[1] Its chelipeds bear a mix of longer spines on the inner side and smaller ones on the outer side; the chelipeds, including the chelae, are "remarkably slender".^[1] The palms of its chelae are armed with spine-like tubercles tipped with tufts of setae, and its fingers are untoothed and heavily bristled.^[1] Its walking legs – also slender – are especially spinose.^[1] On its underside, its abdominal segments are well-developed; some are armed with tubercles, while others are smooth.^[1]

Distribution

A map showing the location of Okinotorishima.

P. okitoriensis is known from only one female holotype found in January 2006 off Japan's southernmost atoll, Okinotorishima, at a depth somewhere between 900 and 1,500 m (3,000 and 4,900 ft).^[1] It was the 12th species of Paralomis described from Japanese waters.^[1]

Taxonomy

P. okitoriensis was described in 2019 by carcinologist Masatsune Takeda. Its name is a combination of the Japanese shorthand "Oki-Tori" for the Okinotorishima atoll where the holotype was found and the Latin suffix "-ēnsis" indicating "of or from a place".^[1]^[a] It falls into an informal subgroup of Paralomis described by carcinologist Shane T. Ahyong which includes P. aculeata and P. spinosissima; this subgroup is characterized by its long chelipeds and walking legs as well as short, well-spaced tubercles on its carapace.^[1]^[2]

Notes

^ Lit. "Of/from Okinotorishima"

References

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j ^k ^l ^m ⁿ Takeda, Masatsune (22 February 2019). "A New Crab-shaped Anomura of the Genus Paralomis White, 1856 (Crustacea, Decapoda) from the depths off Okino-Torishima, Southernmost Island in Japan" (PDF). Bulletin of the National Museum of Natural Sciences, Series A. 45 (1): 23–30. Archived (PDF) from the original on 22 January 2022. Retrieved 4 September 2023.
^ Ahyong, Shane T. (2010). The Marine Fauna of New Zealand: King Crabs of New Zealand, Australia, and the Ross Sea (Crustacea: Decapoda: Lithodidae) (PDF). NIWA Diversity Memoirs. Vol. 123. National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research. p. 109. ISBN 978-0478232851. LCCN 2010497356. Archived (PDF) from the original on 15 February 2020.

[2] Lit. "Of/from Okinotorishima"

[Takeda_2019-1] ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j ^k ^l ^m ⁿ Takeda, Masatsune (22 February 2019). "A New Crab-shaped Anomura of the Genus Paralomis White, 1856 (Crustacea, Decapoda) from the depths off Okino-Torishima, Southernmost Island in Japan" (PDF). Bulletin of the National Museum of Natural Sciences, Series A. 45 (1): 23–30. Archived (PDF) from the original on 22 January 2022. Retrieved 4 September 2023.

[Ahyong2010-3] Ahyong, Shane T. (2010). The Marine Fauna of New Zealand: King Crabs of New Zealand, Australia, and the Ross Sea (Crustacea: Decapoda: Lithodidae) (PDF). NIWA Diversity Memoirs. Vol. 123. National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research. p. 109. ISBN 978-0478232851. LCCN 2010497356. Archived (PDF) from the original on 15 February 2020.

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