Skip to main content Skip to main navigation menu Skip to site footer
Type: Article
Published: 2003-12-19
Page range: 1–20
Abstract views: 28
PDF downloaded: 22

Hermit crabs of the genus Calcinus Dana, 1851 (Decapoda: Anomura: Diogenidae) from the Austral Islands, French Polynesia, with description of a new species

Institut de Recherche de l'Ecole Navale, IRENav, BP 600, 29240 BREST NAVAL France
Smithsonian Institution, National Museum of Natural History, Department of Systematic Biology, P.O. Box 37012, Washington, D. C. 20013-7012, U.S.A.
Crustacea Decapoda Diogenidae Calcinus hermit crab coral reef French Polynesia Austral Islands systematics sibling species

Abstract

Knowledge of morphology, coloration, and distribution of species of Calcinus Dana, 1851 from French Polynesia is expanded based primarily on collections obtained during the French BENTHAUS Expedition in 2002 to the Austral Islands, the southernmost of the French Polynesian islands. Six species of Calcinus were obtained from inshore to depths of 280 m. Of these, one proved to be a new species, C. albengai, and is fully described. This new species has two colour variants, one with pale pink to cream chelipeds that lives in shallow-water from the intertidal to about 50 m, the other with bright orange chelipeds, from deeper waters from about 50 to 280 m. Morphologically this new species is distinguished by differences in the armature of the ocular acicles, aspects of the left and right palms, ventrodistal pilosity of third pereopods, and telson armature. Five species were collected by dredging, trawling, or using traps, in depths of 40 to 280 m: C. anani Poupin & McLaughlin, 1998, C. gouti Poupin, 1997, C. haigae Wooster, 1984, C. spicatus Forest, 1951, and C. aff. sirius Morgan, 1991. Of these, C. gouti was previously known exclusively based on the holotype from Tuamotu, and a more complete diagnosis is presented; the others are also diagnosed, including new details on coloration. Inshore and scuba collecting on Rapa Island produced four additional, but better known species: C. elegans (H. Milne Edwards, 1836), C. latens (Randall, 1840), C. laevimanus (Randall, 1840), and C. vachoni Forest, 1958. The inshore Calcinus fauna of Rapa is briefly compared with its counterpart on Easter Island, located at the same latitude 3500 km to the east. A total of 19 (or possibly 20, should C. sirius be confirmed in the future) Calcinus species are now known from French Polynesia. Cases of sibling species of Calcinus, distinguished almost exclusively by coloration, are summarized.

References

  1. Abele, L.G. (1982) Biogeography. In: Abele, L.G. (Ed) Systematics, the Fossil Record, and Biogeography, pp. 241–304, vol. 1, The Biology of Crustacea Bliss, D.E. (Ed), Academic Press, New York, 319 pp.

    Asakura, A. (2002) Hermit crabs of the genus Calcinus Dana, 1851 (Crustacea, Anomura, Diogenidae) with a brush of setae on the third pereopods, from Japanese and adjacent waters. Tropical Zoology, 15, 27–70.

    Asakura, A. & Nomura, K. (2001) Hermit crabs of the genus Calcinus Dana, 1851 from Japan and adjacent waters (Crustacea Decapoda: Anomura: Diogenidae): C. pulcher Forest, 1958 and C. lineapropodus Morgan & Forest, 1991. Crustacean Research, 30, 94–110.

    Asakura, A. & Tachikawa, H. (2000) A new hermit crab of the genus Calcinus from Micronesia, including new information on C. revi (Decapoda: Anomura: Diogenidae). Journal of Crustacean Biology, 20 (Special number 2), 266–280.

    Asakura, A., Furumi, H., Nomura, K. & Tachikawa, H. (2002) A brief review of records of Calcinus gaimardii (H. Milne Edwards, 1848) and C. morgani Rahayu & Forest, 1999 from Japanese waters, with note on color variants of C. gaimardii (Crustacea: Decapoda: Anomura: Diogenidae). Biological Magazine Okinawa, 40, 33–40.

    Forest, J. (1951) Remarques sur quelques Paguridae du genre Calcinus à propos de la description de deux espèces nouvelles de Polynésie Orientale: Calcinus seurati et Calcinus spicatus. Extrait du Bulletin de la Société Zoologique de France 76(1–2), 83–89.

    Gherardi, F. & McLaughlin, P.A. (1994) Shallow-water hermit crabs (Crustacea, Decapoda, Anomura, Paguridea) from Mauritius and Rodrigues islands, with the description of a new species of Calcinus. Raffles Bulletin of Zoology, 42(3), 613–656.

    Haig, J. & McLaughlin, P.A. (1984) New Calcinus species (Decapoda, Anomura, Diogenidae) from Hawaii, with a key to the local species. Micronesica, 1983 (1984), 19(1–2), 107–121.

    Hoover, J. (1998) Hawai'i's Sea Creatures, a Guide to Hawai'i's Marine Invertebrates. Mutual Publishing, Honolulu, Hawaii, 366 pp.

    Heller, C. (1865) Die Crustaceen. Reise der öesterreichischen Fregatte Novara um die Erde in den Jahren 1857–1859 unter den Befehlen des Commodore B. von Wüllerstorf-Urbair. Zoologischer, 2(3), 1–280.

    Kato, S. & Okuno, J. (2001) Shrimps and Crabs of Hachijo Island. Tbs-Britannica Co., Ltd., Japan, 157 pp.

    Laboute, P. & Richer de Forges, B. (1986) Le volcan sous-marin MacDonald (Archipel des îles Australes), nouvelles observations biologiques et géomorphologiques. Notes et Documents d'océanographie de l'ORSTOM, Tahiti, 29, 1–31.

    Marmayou, J. & Fontaine, B (2003) Tropical Deep-Sea Benthos. Exploration de la faune marine bathyale de l’Indo-Pacifique tropical. Muséum national d’Histoire naturelle (MNHN) et Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD), Paris. Available from http://www.mnhn.fr/publication/musorstom/ (accessed 4 Decembre 2003).

    McLaughlin, P.A. & Dworschak, P.C. (2001) Reappraisal of hermit crab species (Crustacea: Anomura: Paguridae) reported by Camill Heller in 1861, 1862 and 1865. Annalen des Naturhistorischen Museums in Wien, 103B, 135–176.

    Macpherson, E. & Machordom, A. (2001) Phylogenetic relationships of species of Raymunida (Decapoda: Galatheidae) based on morphology and mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase sequences, with the recognition of four new species. Journal of Crustacean Biology, 21(3), 696–714.

    Miyake, S. (1982) Japanese crustacean decapods and stomatopods in color. Vol. I, Macrura, Anomura and Stomatopoda. Hoikusha Publishing Co, Ltd, Osaka, Japan, 261 pp., 1st edition [In Japanese].

    Miyake, S. (1991) Japanese crustacean decapods and stomatopods in color. Vol. I, Macrura, Anomura and Stomatopoda. Hoikusha Publishing Co, Ltd, Osaka, Japan, 261 pp., 2nd printing [In Japanese].

    Miyake, S. & Imafuku, M. (1980) Hermit crabs from the Kii Peninsula. I. Nanki-Seibutsu, Nanki Biological Society, 22, 1–7 [In Japanese].

    Morgan, G.J. (1991) A review of the hermit crab genus Calcinus Dana (Crustacea: Decapoda: Diogenidae) from Australia, with description of two new species. Invertebrate Taxonomy, 5, 869–913, fig. 1–63.

    Morgan, G.J. & Forest, J. (1991) Seven new species of hermit crabs from northern and western Australia (Decapoda, Anomura, Diogenidae). Bulletin du Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle, 1990 (1991), 12(3–4), 649–689.

    Motteler, L.S. (1986) Pacific Island Names. A Map and Name Guide to the New Pacific. Bishop Museum Miscellaneous Publication 34. Bishop Museum Press, Honolulu, 91 pp.

    Poupin, J. (1996) Crustacea Decapoda of French Polynesia (Astacidea, Palinuridea, Anomura, Brachyura). Atoll Research Bulletin, 442, i–iv, 1–114.

    Poupin, J. (1997) Les pagures du genre Calcinus en Polynésie française, avec la description de trois nouvelles espèces (Crustacea, Decapoda, Diogenidae). Zoosystema, 19(4), 683–719.

    Poupin, J. (1998) Crustacea Decapoda and Stomatopoda of French Polynesia. Atoll Research Bulletin, 451, i– ii, 1–62.

    Poupin, J. & McLaughlin, P.A. (1998) Additional Calcinus (Decapoda, Anomura, Diogenidae) from French Polynesia with three new species and a key to Indo-West Pacific species. Crustacean Research, 27, 9–27.

    Poupin, J., Boyko, C.B. & Guzmàn, G.L. (2003) Calcinus from Easter Island, with biogeographic considerations (Crustacea, Decapoda, Anomura, Diogenidae). Memoirs of Museum of Victoria, 60(1), 91–97.

    Rahayu, D.L. & Forest, J. (1999) Sur le statut de Calcinus gaimardii (H. Milne Edwards, 1848) (Decapoda, Anomura, Diogenidae) et description de deux espèces nouvelles apparentées. Zoosystema, 21(3), 461– 472.

    Tudge, C.C. (1995) Hermit crabs of the Great Barrier Reef and coastal Queensland. School of Marine Science, The University of Queensland, Backhuys Publishers, Leiden, The Netherlands, 40 pp.

    Wooster, D.S. (1984) The genus Calcinus (Paguridae, Diogenidae) from the Mariana Islands including three new species. Micronesica, 1982 (1984), 18(2), 121–162.