RAFFLES BULLETIN OF ZOOLOGY 2014
RAFFLES BULLETIN OF ZOOLOGY Supplement No. 30: 301–304
Date of publication: 25 December 2014
http://zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:98A83F93-D96E-4527-ACBC-0BD70AC8E82A
On the crabs of the genus Pseudozius Dana, 1851 (Crustacea: Brachyura:
Pseudoziidae) from Christmas Island and the Cocos (Keeling) Islands
Jose Christopher E. Mendoza1* & Peter K. L. Ng1,2
Abstract. Recent marine surveys in Christmas Island and the Cocos (Keeling) Islands yielded two species of
Pseudozius Dana, 1851. Pseudozius caystrus (Adams & White, 1849) is briely treated. Pseudozius paciicus Balss,
1938, is recorded for the irst time from Christmas Island and the Indian Ocean.
Key words. Decapoda, Pseudozioidea, Pseudozius, Indian Ocean, Christmas Island
the actual specimens may vary only in the year-related
station preix, but not the actual number (e.g., the ield label
accompanying a specimen from stn CI2-09, may have been
written as “CI-09-2011”, that is, station #09 in Christmas
Island, collected in the year 2011). A detailed account of
the stations is provided by Tan et al. (2014).
INTRODUCTION
The Indo-Paciic genus Pseudozius Dana, 1851 (Brachyura:
Pseudozioidea) is represented by three species: Pseudozius
caystrus (Adams & White, 1849), the type species, P.
inornatus Dana, 1852, and P. paciicus Balss, 1938 (viz.
Guinot, 1968; Ng & Wang, 1994; Ng et al., 2008). Two
species (P. caystrus and P. paciicus) were collected by the
recent marine surveys conducted at Christmas Island and
the Cocos (Keeling) Islands in 2010–2012 and are treated
in this paper. The marine surveys were organised by the
Rafles Museum of Biodiversity Research (Singapore) and
the Queensland Museum (Brisbane), with support from the
Australian authorities, particularly the Christmas Island
Park Service.
SYSTEMATIC ACCOUNT
Superfamily PSEUDOZIOIDEA Alcock, 1898
Family PSEUDOZIIDAE Alcock, 1898
Pseudozius caystrus (Adams & White, 1849)
(Fig. 1)
Panopeus caystrus Adams & White, 1849: 42, pl. 9 ig. 2
Pseudozius planus Dana, 1852a: 81; 1852b: 233; 1855: pl. 13 ig. 6
Pseudozius microphthalmus Stimpson, 1858: 35
Pseudozius caystrus, Ward, 1934: 23; Tweedie, 1950: 123; Guinot,
1968: 330 (discussion); 1971: 1077; Serène, 1984: 313, igs.
242, 243, pl. 48 ig. B; Garth et al., 1987: 246, 259; Ng &
Wang, 1994: 86, igs. 1–8; Morgan, 2000: 122 (table); Davie,
2002: 203; Ng et al., 2008: 180 (list)
All material examined are deposited in the Zoological
Reference Collection (ZRC) of the Lee Kong Chian Natural
History Museum (formerly Rafles Museum of Biodiversity
Research), National University of Singapore. Measurements
are shown as maximum carapace width (CW) by median
carapace length (CL), in millimeters. The following
abbreviations are used: I./Is. – island/islands, respectively;
juv. – juvenile; ovig. – ovigerous; and stn – station.
Material examined. Christmas I.: 9 ♂, 9.1 × 5.6 mm –
16.3 × 10.1 mm, 5 ♀ (2 ovig.), 9.3 × 5.7 mm – 12.8 × 7.5
mm, 6 juv., not measured (ZRC), stn CI1-09; 1 ♂, 11.0 ×
6.6 mm (ZRC), stn CI1-20[78]; 1 ♂, 21.3 × 12.8 mm, 3
♀, 19.7 × 11.9 mm – 22.6 × 13.4 mm (ZRC), 11 ♂, 8.2 ×
5.0 mm – 21.5 × 12.9 mm, 15 ♀, 8.8 × 5.4 mm – 22.2 ×
13.3 mm (ZRC), stn CI2-03; 1 ♂, 12.3 × 7.4 mm, 4 ♀, 9.0
× 5.4 mm – 18.2 × 11.2 mm (ZRC), stn CI2-17; 1 ♂, 14.0
× 8.3 mm (ZRC), 1 ♂, 21.2 × 12.8 mm (ZRC), 1 ♀, 20.1
× 12.1 mm (ZRC), 1 ♀, 20.8 × 12.6 mm, 1 ♀, 24.0 × 13.6
mm, stn CI3-13.
Cocos (Keeling) Is.: 1 ♂, 16.6× 10.2 mm (ZRC), 1 ♂, 19.6
× 11.6 mm, 1 ♀, 16.5 × 10.1 mm (ZRC), stn CK1-08.
For simplicity and uniformity, we use the alpha-numeric
codes beginning with “CI1”, “CI2”, and “CI3” to denote
Christmas Island stations for the three consecutive trips in
2010, 2011 and 2012, respectively. Likewise, “CK1” and
“CK2” are used for Cocos (Keeling) stations for the years
2011 and 2012, respectively. Field labels accompanying
1
Department of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science, National University of
Singapore, 14 Science Drive 4, 117543 Singapore; Email: jcmendoza@nus.edu.sg
(*corresponding author JCEM)
2
Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum, Faculty of Science National University
of Singapore, 6 Science Drive 2, 117546 Singapore
Remarks. Ng & Wang (1994) provided a detailed and
extensive discussion of the somewhat convoluted taxonomy
of Pseudozius caystrus (type locality: “Eastern seas”, viz.
© National University of Singapore
ISSN 2345-7600 (electronic) | ISSN 0217-2445 (print)
301
Mendoza & Ng: Pseudozius from Christmas and Cocos (Keeling) islands
Pseudozius paciicus Balss, 1938
(Figs. 2, 3)
Adams & White, 1849). They also stabilised the species
by formally selecting a lectotype from among the syntypes
examined by Adams & White (1849), and, in the process,
established both Panopeus caystrus Adams & White, 1849,
and Pseudozius planus Dana, 1852a, as objective synonyms.
Furthermore, they considered Pseudozius microphthalmus
Stimpson, 1858, as a junior subjective synonym of P.
caystrus. Ng & Wang (1994: igs. 1–8) also provided several
detailed line drawings of the lectotype male and paralectotype
female, as well as of specimens collected from Taiwan and
Christmas Island.
?Pseudozius inornatus, Dana, 1852b: 235; 1855: pl. 13 ig. 8a, b.
Not Pseudozius inornatus Dana, 1852
Pseudozius paciicus Balss, 1938: 64, pl. 2 ig. 5; Guinot, 1968:
330 (discussion), ig. 12a, b; 1971: 1077; Garth et al., 1987:
246, 259; Ng & Wang, 1994: ig. 9a, b (corrected); Ng et al.,
2008: 180 (list)
Material examined. Christmas I.: 1 ♀, 6.4 × 3.9 mm (ZRC)
stn. CI1-13(09), 1 juv. 3.6 × 2.4 mm (ZRC), stn. CI1-13(03);
1 ♂, 7.1 × 4.5 mm (ZRC), stn. CI1-13(18); 1 ♂, 8.7 × 5.4
mm (ZRC), stn. CI1-13(21); 1 ♀, 8.0 × 5.0 mm (ZRC), stn.
CI1-31(179); 1 ♂, 7.2 × 4.7 mm (ZRC), stn. CI2-09(039);
1♂, 4.9 × 3.1 mm (ZRC), stn. CI2-13(05); 1 ♂, 11.1 × 7.0
mm, 1 ovig. ♀, 12.3 × 7.3 mm (ZRC), stn. CI2-17(074); 2
♂, 9.4 × 5.9 mm, 10.1 × 6.4 mm, 3 ♀, 7.9 × 5.0 mm – 9.0
× 5.6 mm (ZRC), stn. CI2-17; 1 ♀, 10.6 × 6.8 mm, 1 ovig.
♀, 10.9 × 6.8 mm (ZRC), stn. CI2-22.
Colour photographs of this species are provided here (Fig. 1)
to show the variation in the live colouration of the specimens
found on Christmas Island, which is also similar to that
observed in the specimens from Cocos (Keeling) Islands. This
species is widely distributed in the Indo-Paciic region (viz.
Ng & Wang, 1994), including Christmas Island (Ward, 1934;
Ng & Wang, 1994; Morgan, 2000) and the Cocos (Keeling)
Islands (Tweedie, 1950), where it is one of the commonest
crabs inhabiting the upper to middle intertidal zone.
Fig. 1. Live colouration. Pseudozius caystrus (Adams & White, 1849): A, 1 ♂, 14.0 × 8.3 mm (ZRC), stn CI3-13; B, 1 ♂, 11.0 × 6.6 mm
(ZRC), stn CI1-20(78); C, 1 ♀, 20.1 × 12.1 mm (ZRC), stn CI3-13; D, 1 ♀, 20.8 × 12.6 mm (ZRC), stn CI3-13.
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RAFFLES BULLETIN OF ZOOLOGY 2014
Fig. 2. Live colouration. Pseudozius paciicus Balss, 1938: A, 1♂, 4.9 × 3.1 mm (ZRC), stn. CI2-13(05); B, 1 ♂, 7.2 × 4.7 mm (ZRC),
stn. CI2-09(039); C, 1 ♂, 7.1 × 4.5 mm (ZRC), stn. CI1-13(18); D, 1 ♂, 11.1 × 7.0 mm (ZRC), stn. CI2-17(074).
Remarks. Pseudozius paciicus was originally described
by Balss (1938) from Jaluit, in the Marshall Islands. The
description and photographs provided by Balss (1938: 64, pl.
2 ig. 5) match the present specimens from Christmas Island.
A igure of the G1 provided by Guinot (1968: ig. 12), who
studied the type material deposited in the Munich Museum,
further conirms their identity. The greatly lared, funnelshaped distal tip of the G1 (Fig. 3), described by Guinot (1968:
331) as “entouré d’un lobe formant un sorte de collerette”,
distinguishes this species from its congeners, P. caystrus and
P. inornatus, which have the G1 much narrower distally (cf.
Guinot, 1968: igs. 13, 14; Ng & Wang, 1994: igs. 1c–e,
4b–e, g, h, 8). The live colouration of P. paciicus is also
recorded here for the irst time (Fig. 2). The pattern on the
carapace agrees with the illustration by Dana (1855: pl. 13
ig. 8a, b) of a specimen collected from Charlotte’s Island
(Kingsmill Group), but which was lost in the shipwreck of
the USS Peacock. Dana (1852b: 235) tentatively identiied
this specimen as a species he was describing at the time,
Pseudozius inornatus. Subsequently, however, Balss (1938)
considered this particular specimen as conspeciic with a
new species of Pseudozius he was describing, P. paciicus,
and listed it in the synonymy for this species.
Fig. 3. Left G1. Pseudozius paciicus Balss, 1938: A, B, 1 ♂, 4.9
× 3.1 mm (ZRC), stn. CI2-13(05), C, 1 ♂, 11.1 × 7.0 mm (ZRC),
stn. CI2-17(074).
303
Mendoza & Ng: Pseudozius from Christmas and Cocos (Keeling) islands
This is the irst record of P. paciicus outside of the Marshall
Islands (cf. Balss, 1938; Garth et al., 1987), and also the
irst such record in the Indian Ocean. In Christmas Island,
it was collected among pebbles and rocks in the intertidal
zone, like P. caystrus, but was relatively less common and
less conspicuous. This species has not been found on Cocos
(Keeling) Islands thus far.
Dana JD (1855) Crustacea. Atlas. United States Exploring
Expedition. During the years 1838, 1839, 1840, 1841, 1842.
Under the command of Charles Wilkes, U.S.N. C. Sherman,
Philadelphia, pls. 1–96.
Davie PJF (2002) Crustacea: Malacostraca: Eucarida (Part 2):
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WWK (eds.) Zoological Catalogue of Australia, Vol. 19.3B.
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(Brachyura and Anomura) of Eniwetak Atoll. In: Devaney DM,
Reese ES, Burch BL & Helfrich P (eds.) The Natural History
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the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia, 10: 31–40.
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
The authors are grateful for the support from the Christmas
Island National Park, the Pulu Keeling National Park, the
Queensland Museum and the Rafles Museum of Biodiversity
Research during the 2010–2012 expeditions to Christmas
Island and the Cocos (Keeling) Islands. We also thank
the expedition team members who were instrumental in
collections and data gathering on-site: Tan Heok Hui, Tan
Swee Hee, Joelle Lai, Tan Kai-xin, Tan Siong Kiat (NUS,
Singapore); Peter Davie (Queensland Museum, Brisbane);
Tohru Naruse, Yoshihisa Fujita (University of the Ryukyus,
Okinawa), Shih Hsi-Te (National Chung Hsing University,
Taiwan) and Max Orchard (CI National Park). We thank Tan
Heok Hui and Tohru Naruse for providing some of the colour
photographs used in this paper, Martyn Low for help with
literature search, and Lee Bee Yan for assistance with some
specimen measurements. Finally we thank Shane Ahyong,
Paul Clark & Tohru Naruse for their valuable comments on
the drafts of this paper.
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