Gopkittisak n. gen. Naruse & Clark 2009
Gopkittisak gallardoi (Serène & Soh, 1976) new combination
Abstract
Recently collected Asthenognathus gallardoi Serène & Soh, 1976 from Thailand and the Philippines are examined. Asthenognathus gallardoi possesses long setae of the palp of the third maxilliped and the fused male abdominal segments that are diagnostic characters of Gaeticinae Davie & N.K. Ng, 2007. Although the species lacks the longitudinal sulcus on the anterior segments of the sternum, which is another diagnostic character of Gaeticinae, the anterior part of the sternum is gently concave. The presences of these features indicate that Asthenognathus gallardoi belongs to Gaeticinae, not Asthenognathinae Stimpson, 1858. A new genus is established for Asthenognathus gallardoi to accommodate it in Gaeticinae.
Key words: Asthenognathus gallardoi, Varunidae, Gaeticinae, new genus, Thailand, Philippines
Family Varunidae H. Milne Edwards, 1853
Subfamily Gaeticinae Davie & N.K. Ng, 2007
Gopkittisak n. gen.
Asthenognathus — Serène & Soh, 1976: 27 (part); Jiang et al., 2007: 77 (part).
Type species: Asthenognathus gallardoi Serène & Soh, 1976, by present designation.
Etymology. The genus is named in memory of Mrs Pharadee (Gop) Uchuphab and Mr Kittisak Raksasri who perished when the Tsunami swept through the Ranong Coastal Research Station, Ranong Province, Thailand on 26 December 2004. They are both missed, but still remembered. The name is an arbitrary combination of two first names and the gender is neuter.
Coloration. The specimens from Thailand are mottled brown with two anterior white spots on the carapace (Fig. 3a), while the Philippines specimens are beige in background and brown dots (Fig. 3b).
Distribution. Gopkittisak gallardoi was originally described from Andaman Sea, Thailand (Serène & Soh, 1976). They also recoded it from Nhatrang Bay, Vietnam. Subsequently the species has been recorded from Pakistan (Ghani & Tirmizi, 1991) and Weizhou Island, Gungxi, China (Jiang et al. 2007). The present study newly records this species from central Philippines.
Naruse, T. and Clark, P. F. 2009. Establishment of a new genus for Asthenognathus gallardoi Serène & Soh, 1976 within Gaeticinae Davie & Ng, 2007 (Crustacea: Decapoda: Brachyura: Varunidae). Zootaxa. 1987: 61–68. <<Fulltext>>
