A New Fiddler Crab of Austruca Bott, 1973, Closely Related to A. perplexa (H. Milne Edwards, 1852) (Crustacea: Brachyura: Ocypodidae), from the South Pacific Islands
Hsi-Te Shih
Department of Life Science and Research Center for Global Change Biology, National Chung Hsing University, Taichung 402, Taiwan.
Communicated by Benny Kwok Kan Chan
A new species of fiddler crab, Austruca citrus n. sp. from Fiji, Wallis & Futuna, and Samoa, in the South Pacific is described based on morphological and molecular evidence. This species is closely related to Austruca perplexa (H. Milne Edwards, 1852), but can be distinguished by a suite of characters, including adult size, carapace morphology, shape and coloration of the major chela, the ratio of major pollex length as a function of carapace width, and male first gonopod form. The molecular evidence of the mitochondrial 16S rDNA and cytochrome oxidase subunit I (COI) supports these morphological differences.
Keywords
Fiddler crabs, Austruca perplexa, A. citrus, New species, 16S rDNA, Cytochrome oxidase subunit I.
