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Issue: Vol. 5631 No. 3: 5 May 2025
Type: Article
Published: 2025-05-05
DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5631.3.12
Page range: 594-600
Abstract views: 72
PDF downloaded: 13

Mykescola gen. nov., a new genus for two coral-dwelling gall crab species (Decapoda: Cryptochiridae) inhabiting Fungiidae Dana, 1846 corals

Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences; University of Groningen; Nijenborgh 7; 9747 AG Groningen; The Netherlands.; Naturalis Biodiversity Center; Darwinweg 2; 2333 CR Leiden; The Netherlands.
Crustacea coral-dwelling Fungiidae Scleractinia symbiosis

Abstract

The cryptochirid genus Fungicola Serène, 1968 contains three valid species that inhabit mushroom corals of the family Fungiidae Dana, 1846. Phylogenetic reconstructions of the Cryptochiridae revealed the polyphyletic nature of this genus, which is here resolved with the description of a new genus: Mykescola gen. nov. The gall crab species Fungicola fagei (Fize & Serène, 1956) and F. syzygia van der Meij, 2015 are transferred to the new genus, rendering Fungicola monotypic with F. utinomi (Fize & Serène, 1956) as the sole representative. A diagnosis for the new genus, an overview of the morphological characters and list of fixed nucleotide positions distinguishing Fungicola from Mykescola gen. nov. are provided.

 

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How to Cite

van Der Meij, S.E. (2025) Mykescola gen. nov., a new genus for two coral-dwelling gall crab species (Decapoda: Cryptochiridae) inhabiting Fungiidae Dana, 1846 corals. Zootaxa, 5631 (3), 594–600. https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5631.3.12