Calcinus dapsiles Morgan, 1989

Calcinus dapsiles Morgan, 1989 View in CoL

( Figs. 2A–D View Figure 2 , 4 View Figure 4 )

Calcinus dapsiles Morgan, 1989: 407 View in CoL [WA, between 25– 35°S, 0–20 m: Shark Bay, 5 m; Seven Mile Beach, north of Dongara, 2 m; north of Little I., off Hillarys Marina, Perth View in CoL ; Burns Beach, Perth, 20 m; Nancy Cove and Parker Point, Rottnest I.; Cottesloe Beach, Perth, 2–4 m; Canal Rocks, south of Yallingup, 33°41’S, 114°59’E, 2 m; Prevelly Park, west of Margaret River; Little Bay in Two Peoples Bay, east of Albany, 3 m; Ledge Point, King George Sound, east of Albany, 2–3 m; Michaelmas I., King George Sound, east of Albany, 15–18 m; Frenchman’s Bay, old whaling station, south of Albany, 1.5 m; Princess Royal Harbour, near Albany, 3 m; Shelter I., west of Albany, 1–3m; Cosy Corner, near Migo I., west of Albany, 2–3 m]. — Morgan, 1991: 873 [WA, between 23– 35°S, 0–97 m: Warroora, S. end of Ningaloo Reef; Steep Point, opposite Cape Ransonnet and Monkey Rock, Shark Bay; Port Gregory; Houtman Abrolhos Is.; Dyer I., Rottnest I.; Cockburn Sound; Whaling Cove, King George Sound; Ataturk Entrance to Princess Royal Harbour, Albany; False I., King George Sound]. — Jones and Morgan, 2002: 116 [WA, no location, color photograph by C. Bryce]. — ALA, 2021a and OZCAM, 2021a: Internet databases, specimens of Calcinus dapsiles View in CoL in Australian Museums [WA, several places from Museum collections, in part in material examined herein]. — Myorin, 2021: Internet [WA, Perth, Ammo Jetty, 6–8 m, photographs by Matthias Liffers and Rokus Groeneveld; examined herein, see Figs. 2B–D View Figure 2 ].

Calcinus sp. MoV 5268, 5389, 5393, 5396 (Southern Surveyor voyage SS10-2005). — Poore et al., 2008: 24 [WA, between 22– 35°S, 95–102 m; color photograph for 5268 (?juvenile), Carnarvon, 100 m, and 5389 (adult; herein in Fig. 2A View Figure 2 ), D’Entrecasteaux, 95–102 m]. — McEnnulty et al., 2011: 118, 180 [same, with detail on stations data, WA between 22– 35°S, 95–102 m: Ningaloo, Carnarvon, Kalbarri, D’Entrecasteaux, and color photograph for 5389, CAAB number 28827109, D’Entrecasteaux, 95–102 m (here in Fig. 2A View Figure 2 )]. — CSIRO, 2021: Internet database [same, color photograph for 5389, CAAB number 28827109, image catalogue number MIIC-03696, 19 November 2005, -31.7243° 115.244°, 102. 3 m, color photograph Karen Gowlett-Holmes]. Photograph 5389, presented here in on Fig. 2A View Figure 2 , is determined confidently as C. dapsiles View in CoL based on live color; other specimens (MoV 5268, 5393, 5396) are probably juveniles of the same species.

Material examined. Several specimens in MV (determined between 1990 and 2009 by G. Morgan, S.W. Gunn, G. Poore, and J. Poupin; not verified for present study, see Remarks) — 3 specimens, King George Sound, N of False Island, 15/04/1984, 25 m, -35.0117 118.168, id. G. Morgan, MV J 18376. — 1 specimen, 2 miles NW of naval base Groyne, Cockburn Sound, 23/11/1969, 6–10 m, -32.2 115.72, id. G. Morgan, MV J 18370. — 1 male, Central Bass Strait, 65 km ENE of Cape Rochon, Three Hummock Island, BSS157, 13/11/1981, 75m, -40.1817 145.738, id. J. Poupin, MV J 52817. — 1 specimen, Port Gregory, reef 500 m offshore, 1 m, 28/04/1986, -28.2 114.25, id. S W. Gunn, MV J 20511. — 1 specimen, South WA no station, id. S W. Gunn, MV J 20516. — 1 male, off Carnarvon, 07/12/ 2005, 100 m, -24.6194 to -24.6228 112.666, id. J. Poupin, MV J 54972;Southern Surveyor voyage SS10-2005 (same as Calcinus sp. MoV 5268, 5389, 5393, 5396 in Poore et al., 2008 and McEnnulty et al., 2011): 1 specimen, off Carnarvon, 08/12/ 2005, 100 m, -24.6244 to -24.6288 112.671 to 112.669, id. J. Poupin, MV J 54754; 2 males, 3 females, off Two Rocks, 18/11/ 2005, 102 m, -31.7244 to -31.7148 115.244, id. J. Poupin, MV J 54753 (1 male), MV J 55372 (3 females), MV J 54755 (1 male); 2 males, off D’Entrecasteaux, 21/11/2005, 95–100 m, -34.8861 to -34.8839 115.507 to 115.499, id. G. Poore, MV J 55371; 1 male, off Kalbarri, 05/12/2005, 96–98 m, -27.8133 113.311, id. J. Poupin, MV J 55343.

(List also at https://collections.museumsvictoria. com.au/search?taxon= Calcinus+dapsiles ).

Color photographs examined ( Fig. 2 View Figure 2 ). Fig. 2A View Figure 2 , photographer Karen Gowlett-Holmes, also published in Poore et al. (2008), McEnnulty et al. (2011) and CSIRO (2021). Figs.2B–D View Figure 2 , photographs from Perth, Ammo Jetty, 6–8 m, photographers Matthias Liffers ( Fig. 2B View Figure 2 ) and Rokus Groeneveld ( Fig. 2C–D View Figure 2 ) (also in Myorin, 2021). A few additional photographs of C. dapsiles were also consulted in the Atlas of Living Australia ( ALA, 2021a).

Affinities. Overall this species is most similar to C. shawi sp. nov., from which it differs as follows: upper margin of left larger palm (in male) with indistinct row of low tubercles, instead of having 7 blunt spines in C. shawi sp. nov.; dactyl of left larger chela (male) approximately as long as upper margin of palm, instead of noticeably shorter (× 0.55) in C. shawi sp. nov.; dactyl of P2 as long as propodus with row of 6–8 short corneous spines on ventral margin, instead of shorter than propodus (× 0.81) with row of 10 minute spines on the ventral margin in C. shawi sp. nov.

Live color ( Fig. 2 View Figure 2 ). The live coloration of Calcinus dapsiles ( Fig. 2 View Figure 2 ) cannot be confounded with that of C. shawi sp. nov. which is overall orange without remarkable markings ( Fig. 1 View Figure 1 ). The ground color of C. dapsiles is chocolate brown to pink with white on fingers of chelae and distal parts of ambulatory dactyls and propodi. The ocular peduncles are pink on proximal half turning to chocolate brown distally with a thin cream band at base of corneas. In C. shawi sp. nov. the ocular peduncles are pale orange on proximal one-fourth fading to white on distal part without distal band at base of corneas. Morgan (1989: 411) indicates that Calcinus dapsiles can be “readily recognized in the field by its distinctive red and white colour patterns, together with the small reddish spots on the chelipeds and walking legs”.

Distribution and habitat ( Fig. 4 View Figure 4 ). Calcinus dapsiles is one of the most common and ubiquitous shallow water hermit crabs in WA ( Morgan, 1989; 1991). Its geographic distribution is plotted in Fig. 4 View Figure 4 based on localities reported by Morgan (1989; 1991), Poore et al. (2008), McEnnulty et al. (2011), photographs studied during the present study, ALA (2021a) and CSIRO (2021) databases, and specimens deposited in MV collections (Material examined). This species is known with certainty only from WA, including Houtman Abrolhos Islands, between latitudes 22– 35°S. Morgan (1991) indicates a depth range of 0–97 m, slightly extended herein to 102 m, from collections of the Southern Surveyor voyage SS10-2005 (off Two Rocks, MV J 54753, J 55372, J 54755).

A doubtful record in Central Bass Strait, 65 km ENE of Cape Rochon, Three Hummock Island, 75 m, -40.1817 145.738 (MV J 52817) is out of the usual range for this species. A re-examination by G. Poore, at the end of this study, confirms that the setation of P2 and P3 is scarce, similar for both legs, different from C. dapsiles where distal setation of P3 is more pronounced than on P2. It is however a juvenile that has lost its color. In the future, it will be interesting to confirm the presence of C. dapsiles in Bass Strait with adults and colored specimens. According to O’Hara and Poore (2000) the species richness of southern Australian marine fauna graded with latitude from high diversity in the warm temperate regions around Perth and Sydney to low diversity in cool temperate southern Tasmania. This would be an indication that C. dapsiles perhaps does not occur south of 35°S, its ultimate confirmed WA latitudinal occurrence. Conversely, a disjunct distribution, such as it is presented in Fig. 4 View Figure 4 for C. dapsiles (WA and Bass Strait) , has also been reported by Poore et al. (2008:3, fig. 2) for the slipper lobster Ibacus alticrenatus Spence Bate, 1888 , attributed to the scarcity of collections in the Great Australian Bight, and an indication that C. dapsiles would be indeed present in Bass Strait.

Remarks. To our knowledge, the only color photograph published for C. dapsiles previous to the present study was that in Jones and Morgan (2002, of a specimen from WA but without further detail of location). Our study of color photographs( Fig. 2B, C View Figure 2 ) obtained by scuba divers operating in the Perth area and included in Myorin (2021), as well as additional color photographs in the Atlas of Living Australia ( ALA, 2021a), confirmed the remark by Morgan (1989) that C. dapsiles is abundant in south-western Australia, and is the only species of Calcinus that occurs south of the Rottnest Island (32°S) in that region. It is morphologically related to C. shawi sp. nov. but differs in a few morphological differences (see Affinities) and live coloration (compare Figs. 1 View Figure 1 and 2 View Figure 2 ). The two species have also been sequenced by Malay and Paulay (2010), and their molecular data confirm the genetic separation of these two species.