Cardisoma carnifex (Herbst, 1796)

Cardisoma carnifex (Herbst, 1796) View in CoL

( Figs. 4 View Figure 4 , 5 View Figure 5 )

Cancer carnifex Herbst, 1796: 163 , pl. 41, fig. 1 (for complete synonymy, see Türkay, 1974: 224). Cardisoma obesum Dana, 1851: 252 View in CoL .

Type material. 1 carapace (90.6 × 70.0 mm) ( USNM 2356 About USNM ), Peacock Island , Tuamotu, 14°30’S 146°18’W, coll. U.S. Exploring Expedition GoogleMaps .

Remarks. Cardisoma obesum was described by Dana (1851: 252–253) from “Paumotu” (= Tuamotu) in French Polynesia, and he listed one specimen (sex not specified) measuring 3.67 by 3 inches (93.2 × 76.2 mm). Dana (1852: 376) redescribed the species and figured the carapace, noting that it was from Peacock Island in the Paumotu Archipelago, and that the “... only specimen of this species saved from among the many collected, is a carapax.” The front of the carapace was figured in Dana (1855: pl. 24, fig.1). Cardisoma obesum is currently regarded as a junior subjective synonym of C. carnifex (see Türkay, 1974). The whereabouts of the type of C. obesum , was to date not known.

The present specimen ( USNM 2356 About USNM ) measures 90.6 × 70.0 mm and the measurements are slightly smaller from that given by Dana (1851) but this can easily be explained by the fact that all that is left of the specimen is the carapace and the left side is broken and in poor condition. As thus, there is doubt this is in fact the holotype specimen of C. obesum .