Helice epicure, A New Species of Varunid Mud Crab (Brachyura, Decapoda, Grapsoidea) from the Ryukyus, Japan.

ABSTRACT: Ngan Kee Ng, Tohru Naruse, and Hsi-Te Shih (2018) Helice epicure, a new species of varunid crab, is described from the Ryukyu Islands, Japan. The new species in the genus Helice De Haan, 1833 can be distinguished from its congeners by morphological differences in the chelae and suborbital crenulation. The morphological differences between the new species and a sister clade (the H. latimera complex, including H. latimera Parisi, 1918, H. tientsinensis Rathbun, 1931 and H. formosensis Rathbun, 1931) are supported by mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase subunit I (COI) divergences. However, the phylogenetic relationship within the H. latimera complex is unresolved for the time being.

SUBMITTER: Ng NK 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6517753 | biostudies-literature | 2018

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature