Vol. 60, 2021

(update: 2021.02.20; 04.06)
 

Revision of Majella Ortmann, 1893 (Crustacea: Brachyura: Majidae), with Description of Two New Species from the Indian Ocean

Peter K.L. Ng¹, Bee Yan Lee^2,*, and Bertrand Richer de Forges³

¹Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum, National University of Singapore, 2 Conservatory Drive, Singapore 117377. E-mail: peterng@nus.edu.sg (Ng)
²Tropical Marine Science Institute, National University of Singapore, 18 Kent Ridge Road, Singapore 119227, Republic of Singapore. *Correspondence: E-mail: beeyan_lee@nus.edu.sg, beeyan06@gmail.com (Lee)
³c/o Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, Institut de Systématique, Évolution, Biodiversité, ISYEB - UMR 7205 – CNRS, MNHN, UPMC, EPHE, Département Systématique et Evolution, 57 rue Cuvier, CP26, F-75005, Paris, France. E-mail: b.richerdeforges@gmail.com (de Forges)

Received 26 October 2020 / Accepted 26 January 2021
Communicated by Benny K.K. Chan

The poorly known majid genus Majella Ortmann, 1893, is revised. The genus was previously known only from one species, M. brevipes Ortmann, 1893, described from Japan and reported from east Africa. Majella brevipes is redescribed and figured in detail from the type and material from the type locality, Sagami Bay in Japan. This species is now restricted to Japan. Specimens from east Africa are herein described as two new species: M. skolopion n. sp. and M. pristis n. sp.; they differ markedly from M. brevipes (now restricted to Japan) in the arrangement of spines on the carapace and pereopods, third maxillipeds, male pleon and gonopods.

Key words: Spider crab, Majoidea, Japan, Western Indian Ocean, Majella, Systematics, New species.

Citation: Ng PKL, Lee BY, de Forges BR. 2021. Revision of Majella Ortmann, 1893 (Crustacea: Brachyura: Majidae), with description of two new species from the Indian Ocean. Zool Stud 60:15. doi:10.6620/ZS.2021.60-15.