[Crustacea • 2026] Galathea balasubramaniani • A New Species of the Squat Lobster Genus Galathea Fabricius, 1793 (Decapoda: Galatheidae) from Lakshadweep, India

 

 Galathea balasubramaniani  

Sureandiran, Divya, Naeem, Sundaramanickam & Kumar, 2026 

  DOI: doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5757.4.6  

Researchgate.net/publication/400595434

 

Abstract

A new species of galatheid squat lobster, Galathea balasubramaniani sp. nov. is described from Lakshadweep Island, India. The G. balasubramaniani sp. nov. belongs to the ‘G. mauritiana’ group, identified through having a pterygostomian flap with 1 or 2 spines and an uninterrupted mesogastric ridge. This group includes: G. acis Macpherson & Robainas-Barcia, 2015, G. aequata Macpherson & Robainas-Barcia, 2015, G. ahyongi Macpherson & Robainas-Barcia, 2015, G. mauritiana Bouvier, 1914 and G. senta Macpherson & Robainas-Barcia, 2015. The G. balasubramaniani sp. nov. resembles G. mauritiana Bouvier, 1914, but differs based on the presence of an epipod on P1, and P2 with propodus 4.2–4.7 times as long as wide and the merus with the proximal spine reaching or slightly over-reaching the distal margin of the article. Maximum Likelihood analysis of the new species, using mitochondrial genes cytochrome c oxidase (COI) and 16S rRNA also supported the findings and suggests that G. balasubramaniani sp. nov. is closely related to G. mauritiana, with pairwise genetic distances estimated at 6.0–14.3 % (COI) and 3.1–16.9% (16S rRNA).

Crustacea, Arabian Sea, Galatheid squat lobster, Genetic divergence, Indian Ocean, Phylogeny

 Galathea balasubramaniani sp. nov. 
A–H, holotype female, GALGBAL/NBFGR (PCL 2.85 mm); I, paratype male, GALGBAL/NBFGR.2 (PCL 1.88 mm). A, carapace, dorsal view; B, pterygostomian flap, left lateral view; C, right P1, dorsal view; D–F, right P2–4, lateral view; G, maxilliped 3 dorsal view; H, thoracic sternum, ventral view; I right G2, dorsal view. Scale bar for A–F, H = 1 mm, G–I = 0.5 mm.

 Galathea balasubramaniani sp. nov. in live condition, collected from Agatti Island, Lakshadweep. Specimen not preserved.

Galathea balasubramaniani sp. nov.

B. SUREANDIRAN, P.R. DIVYA, U.P. MOHAMMED NAEEM, A. SUNDARAMANICKAM, T.T. AJITH KUMAR. 2026. A New Species of the Squat Lobster Genus Galathea Fabricius, 1793 from Lakshadweep, India (Crustacea: Decapoda: Galatheidae).  Zootaxa. 5757(4); 382-392. DOI: doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5757.4.6 [2026-02-09]

 Researchgate.net/publication/400595434_A_new_species_of_Galathea_from_Lakshadweep_India

[Crustacea • 2025] Trapezionida hercules, Typhlonida annieae, Munidopsis giribeti, etc. • New Species of Deep-sea Galatheoidea (Anomura: Galatheidae, Munididae, Munidopsidae) from Central Pacific Seamounts, with remarks on their phylogenetic placement, habitat associations, and significance for the biogeography of squat lobsters

 

Munidopsis giribeti

Rodríguez-Flores, 2025

 DOI: doi.org/10.1093/jcbiol/ruae080 

 x.com/MCZHarvard

Abstract

Seamounts in the Central Pacific Ocean remain largely unexplored. Squat lobsters, a major deep-sea invertebrate group, are poorly known in this area, whereas recent sampling efforts in the Western Pacific have resulted in a populated database of Galatheoidea Samouelle, 1819. Material recently collected by the E/V Nautilus during several expeditions to Central Pacific seamounts is reviewed herein, revealing the presence of 16 species. Ten species constitute geographic range expansions, and five are new taxa: Trapezionida hercules sp. nov., T. tapina sp. nov., Typhlonida annieae sp. nov., Munidopsis giribeti sp. nov., and M. nemo sp. nov. Using 3D imaging via micro-CT scanning and molecular phylogenetic analysis of COI and 16S mitochondrial genes, these species are described and illustrated, and their phylogenetic positions are revealed. Several of the new species represent highly divergent lineages not closely related to known species, indicating a need to continue exploring the deep ocean in the Central Pacific. The study herein also describes the habitats and biological associations of these species, ranging from corals to chemosynthetic environments. The new data fill an important geographic gap in the distribution of squat lobster species and contribute to understanding the speciation processes and connectivity among seamounts in the Pacific Ocean.

 

 

Paula C Rodríguez-Flores. 2025. New Species of Deep-sea Galatheoidea (Anomura: Galatheidae, Munididae, Munidopsidae) from Central Pacific Seamounts, with remarks on their phylogenetic placement, habitat associations, and significance for the biogeography of squat lobsters. Journal of Crustacean Biology.  45(1); ruae080. DOI: doi.org/10.1093/jcbiol/ruae080

  x.com/MCZHarvard/status/1889374715099201636

[Crustacea • 2017] Fennerogalathea chani, F. cultrata & F. ensifera • Three New Species of Squat Lobsters of the Genus Fennerogalathea Baba, 1988 (Decapoda: Galatheidae) from the Pacific Ocean

Fennerogalathea chani 

Rodriguez-Flores, Machordom & Macpherson, 2017

  DOI:  10.11646/zootaxa.4276.1.2 

Abstract

The genus Fennerogalathea Baba, 1988 was known to contain two species: F. chacei Baba, 1988, the type species, from the Philippines, Taiwan and Indonesia and F. chirostyloides Tirmizi & Javed, 1993 from the Bay of Bengal. In the present study, three new species of the genus are described and illustrated: Fennerogalathea chani n. sp. from Papua New Guinea, Fennerogalathea cultrata n. sp. from New Caledonia and Vanuatu and Fennerogalathea ensifera n. sp. from Fiji. The new species are morphologically distinguishable on the basis of the shape and spination of the rostrum and the presence/absence of a small spine on the frontal margin of the carapace. The species also show clear genetic differences (COI and 16S rDNA) among them.

Keywords: Crustacea, Anomura, morphology, mitochondrial genes, West Pacific

Paula C. Rodriguez-Flores, Annie Machordom and Enrique Macpherson. 2017. Three New Species of Squat Lobsters of the Genus Fennerogalathea Baba, 1988 (Decapoda: Galatheidae) from the Pacific Ocean. Zootaxa. 4276(1); 46–60.  DOI:  10.11646/zootaxa.4276.1.2