Vol. 62, 2023

(update: 2023.3.20)

Tuerkayana latens, a New Species of Land Crab from French Polynesia, with a Discussion on the Phylogeny of the Genus (Crustacea: Decapoda: Brachyura: Gecarcinidae)

Peter K. L. Ng¹ and Hsi-Te Shih^2,*

¹Department of Biological Sciences, National University of Singapore, Kent Ridge, Singapore 119260, Republic of Singapore. E-mail: peterng@nus.edu.sg (Ng)
²Department of Life Science and Research Center for Global Change, National Chung Hsing University, 250, Kuo Kuang Road, Taichung 402, Taiwan. *Correspondence: E-mail: htshih@dragon.nchu.edu.tw (Shih)

(Received 23 April 2022 / Accepted 3 January 2023 / Published 20 March 2023)
Communicated by Benny K.K. Chan

The taxonomy of the gecarcinid land crab Tuerkayana rotundum (Quoy & Gaimard, 1824) is revised. The taxon, the type species of the genus, occurs from the western Indian Ocean to the western Pacific, and varies substantially in colour and various morphological features, but the male first gonopod structure is constant and the extensive genetic data from mitochondrial 16S rDNA, cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 and control region markers confirms the recognition of one wide-ranging species. Specimens from Tuamotu in French Polynesia and Pitcairn Island, however, differ in having a smoother and slightly more swollen carapace, and significantly, the male first gonopod structure is distinctly different. The genetic data also supports their differentiation. As such, this material is here recognised as a new species, Tuerkayana latens n. sp.

Key words: Land crabs, Gecarcinidae, Tuerkayana latens, New species, Systematics, phylogeny, 16S rDNA, Cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1, Control region, South Pacific, Tuamotu Islands, Pitcaim Islands.

Citation: Ng PKL, Shih HT. 2023. Tuerkayana latens, a new species of land crab from French Polynesia, with a discussion on the phylogeny of the genus (Crustacea: Decapoda: Brachyura: Gecarcinidae). Zool Stud 62:10. doi:10.6620/ZS.2023.62-10.