Gonodactylus cf. chiragra (Fabricus, 1781)

Gonodactylus cf. chiragra (Fabricus, 1781)

( Fig. 9 View FIGURE 9 )

Material examined. KZN: SAMC-A012158 , 4 ♀ (TL 31–62 mm), 1 ♂ (TL 55 mm), Boteler Point intertidal pools, Sodwana Bay, 27°00’59.8”S 32°51’59.8”E, Dec 1964 GoogleMaps , shallow intertidal, coll. O. Bourquin, det. B. F. Kensley in Jan 1965.

Diagnosis. Ocular scales broad, flattened, separate, together broader than half rostral plate width. Rostral plate basal portion with anterior margins shallowly concave in adults; anterolateral angles blunt or rounded; lateral margins subparallel or slightly divergent anteriorly; apical spine shorter or longer than base. Lateral margin of TS6– 7 subequal. AS 6 spination better presented in smaller specimens. Telson with LT tooth indicated by shallow notch in margin of telson between anterolateral angle and apex of IM tooth; mid-dorsal carinae blunt, neither sharp nor crested dorsally; MD carina strongly inflated and unarmed posteriorly; accessory MD carinae forming “anchor”; with 10–12 SM denticles. Uropodal exopod proximal segment outer margin with 10–13 movable spines.

Colour in alcohol. ♂: Body faded dark orange to brown; pereopods with distal segment faded light blue; dactylus of raptorial claw light blue/lavender to white.

Colour in life. Unknown.

Measurements. ♂ (n = 1) TL 55 mm, ♀ (n = 4) TL 31–62 mm. A1 peduncle 0.48–0.50CL. A2 scale 0.47– 0.59CL. AWCLI 750–833.

Distribution and habitat. Only considered for the present specimens from Sodwana Bay, KZN, South Africa.

Remarks. When examining several specimens of KwaZulu-Natal determined by Kensley, the mid-dorsal carinae of the telson appear strongly inflated. This is apparent in the 55 mm TL male illustrated ( Fig. 9H View FIGURE 9 ) when compared to Barnard’s (1950) G. chiragra specimen described above from St. Lucia. The present specimens are distinguished from Gonodactylus chiragra by the shape of the rostral plate with the anterior margins of the basal portion being only shallowly concave in adults as well as the strongly inflated shape of the telson’s mid-dorsal carinae. The strongly inflated mid-dorsal carinae of the specimens overlaps with that observed for G. botti . Therefore, it is suggested that the shape of the ocular scales distinguished the present series from G. botti .