Nilgiriana nilgiriensis ( Roux, 1931 ), 2025

Nilgiriana nilgiriensis ( Roux, 1931) comb. nov.

[Roux’s Nilgiri crab]

( Figs. 27A–D View FIGURE 27 , 28A–C View FIGURE 28 )

Paratelphusa (Liotelphusa) nilgiriensis Roux, 1931: 56 View in CoL , figs. 14, 15.

Gubernatoriana nilgiriensis – Bott 1970a: 336; 1970b: 45, pl. 5 figs. 51–53, pl. 27 fig. 24.— Srivastava 2009: 29 (list).

Vanni nilgiriensis View in CoL – Bahir & Yeo 2007: 341, figs. 35, 36.— Klaus et al. 2014: table S1 (list).—Pati 2020: 162 (list).— Pati & Pradhan 2020: 555836 (list).— Sruthi & Thirunavukkarasu 2022: 460 (list).

Type material. Lectotype: male ( CW 24.7 mm, CL 18.5 mm) ( MHNG, uncatalogued), India, Tamil Nadu State, Nilgiris District, Nilgiris, Avalanche , 11.315° N, 76.599° E, “elev. 2100 m a.s.l. ”, coll. J. Carl, 18 January 1927. GoogleMaps

Diagnosis. Medium sized crabs (maximum CW 24.7 mm). Carapace relatively broad (CW/CL = ca. 1.3–1.4), relatively low ( CH /CW = ca. 0.4) ( Fig. 27A–C View FIGURE 27 ); epistome posterior margin with gently sinuous lateral lobes ( Fig. 27C View FIGURE 27 ); male s2/s3 incomplete, not reaching edge of sternum ( Fig. 27D View FIGURE 27 ); male sternopleonal cavity relatively shorter, reaching to imaginary line joining medial part of cheliped coxae ( Fig. 27D View FIGURE 27 ); male pleon relatively broader, with relatively broad pleonal somite 6, proximal width ca. 1.9 times medial length ( Fig. 27D View FIGURE 27 ); male telson broader than long, medial length ca. 0.9 times proximal width, with concave lateral margins ( Fig. 27D View FIGURE 27 ); G1 ultimate article subconical, inverted funnel-shaped, distally abruptly narrow, almost straight, short, ca. 0.3 times length of penultimate article ( Fig. 28A, B View FIGURE 28 ); G1 penultimate article with gently sinuous outer margin ( Fig. 28A, B View FIGURE 28 ); G2 distinctly longer than G1, ca. 1.4 times G1 length, ultimate article relatively longer, ca. 0.5 times length of penultimate article ( Fig. 28C View FIGURE 28 ).

Remarks. Nilgiriana nilgiriensis comb. nov. was originally described by Roux (1931) as Paratelphusa (Liotelphusa) nilgiriensis . Bott (1970a, 1970b) subsequently transferred the species to Gubernatoriana probably due to its weakly developed postorbital cristae. The lectotype designated for the species by Bott (1970a, 1970b) was also illustrated in Bahir & Yeo (2007). Bahir & Yeo (2007), however, assigned the species to Vanni , with arguments that the species differs from Gubernatoriana mainly by the well-developed flagellum on the exopod of the maxilliped 3 and the relatively long G2 ultimate article.

The species reported as Vanni nilgiriensis from Karnataka and Kerala by Pati et al. (2019c) was actually Nilgiriana paloti sp. nov.; the differences between Nilgiriana nilgiriensis comb. nov. and the new species are discussed in detail (see remarks for the latter new species).

Ecological notes. The ecology of Ni. nilgiriensis comb. nov. is so far not known, except for the fact that the species was reported to dwell at the higher elevations (2000–2200 m a.s.l.) of the central Western Ghats and found syntopic with Pu. pusilla comb. nov. at Avalanche of the Nilgiris Hills (see Roux 1931).

Geographical distribution. Nilgiriana nilgiriensis comb. nov. is currently known only from the central Western Ghats in the Nilgiris district of Tamil Nadu, southern India ( Roux 1931; Bott 1970a, 1970b; Bahir & Yeo 2007) ( Fig. 1B View FIGURE 1 ).