Munidopsis turgida Rodríguez-Flores, Macpherson & Machordom, 2018

Rodríguez-Flores, Paula C., Bracken-Grissom, Heather D., Lemaitre, Rafael, Felder, Darryl L. & Nizinski, Martha S., 2025, A new squat lobster (Crustacea, Decapoda, Munidopsidae) from the western Atlantic with redescription of Munidopsis expansa Benedict, 1902 and several range extensions, ZooKeys 1248, pp. 321-340 : 321-340

Munidopsis turgida Rodríguez-Flores, Macpherson & Machordom, 2018

Figs 1 , 7 C , 8 A, B

Munidopsis turgida Rodríguez-Flores et al., 2018: 576, fig. 4 (type locality: Guadeloupe 457–484 m). — Rodríguez-Flores et al. 2023: figs 1, 2 (molecular data).

Material examined.

• North Atlantic Ocean, West Florida Slope, USGS-LOPH II -JSLII-09-GOM-3722 , 26.2041431, 84.7271528, 536– 500 m, 6 September 2009: 1 M 5.1 mm ( USNM 1666812 ) . • USGS-LOPH II -CH-2010-081 , 26.213611, 84.725486, 525 m, 30 September 2010: 1 F not measured ( USNM 1704796 , GenBank Accession No. PV 297965 ) .

Diagnosis.

Carapace and abdomen densely covered with rounded granules (Fig. 8 A, B ), slightly longer than broad; with 2 epigastric protuberances; dorsal regions well delimited by furrows. Rostrum spade-shaped in dorsal view, constricted between eyes. Frontal margin slightly concave behind ocular peduncle, transverse between antenna and anterolateral angle of carapace. Lateral margins unarmed; subparallel, anterolateral corner rounded. Sternum longer than wide, maximum width at sternite 6 or 7; sternite 3 moderately broad, twice wider than long, width about half that of sternite 4; anterior margin of sternite 4 widely triangular. Abdomen unarmed; telson composed of 8 plates. Eyes small, fused to rostrum, without eye-spines; granulate overgrowths covering proximo-mesial part of cornea dorsally and ventrally; cornea globular. Mxp 3 merus with granules on flexor margin. P 1 more than twice PCL. P 2–4 stout, with protuberances; extensor margins of articles not cristate; propodi not expanded distally; dactyli moderately curved distally, flexor margin with teeth decreasing in size proximally, each tooth with slender corneous spine. P 2 not reaching end of P 1. Epipods on P 1.

Coloration: Carapace and chelae light orange. Abdomen white. P 1 –4 orange with white bands. Spines on P 1 –4 and carapace epigastric protuberances white (Fig. 7 C ).

Ecology.

The specimen collected on the West Florida Slope at station USGS-LOPH II -JSLII-09-GOM-3722 was observed on live Desmophyllum pertusum . In general, the habitat was characterized by discrete, relatively large colonies of both live and dead D. pertusum , interspersed with areas of coral rubble and soft sediments.

Remarks.

The specimen sequenced from the Gulf of Mexico is genetically identical to the Caribbean holotype (0 % of molecular divergence) for the COI fragment obtained (Table 1 ).

Distribution.

Known only from the type locality in Guadeloupe and the present new record from the Gulf of Mexico, West Florida Slope; 457 to 536 m depth.

Figures

Figure 1. Map depicting locations for species of Munidopsis treated in present study of the Gulf of Mexico, Caribbean, and adjacent Atlantic waters off Florida.

Figure 7. Color images of fresh specimens: Munidopsis expansa Benedict, 1902, (USNM 1194614) West Florida slope: A. Lateral habitus; B. dorsal habitus, abdomen flexed; C. Munidopsis turgida Rodríguez-Flores, Macpherson & Machordom, 2018, (USNM 1666812) dorsal habitus, abdomen flexed. Photographs by MN (C) and C. Morrison (A, B).

Figure 8. Munidopsis turgida Rodríguez-Flores, Macpherson & Machordom, 2018, 3 D rendering of micro-CT images, M 5.1 mm (USNM 1666812), West Florida slope: A. Dorsal B. Ventral lateral views.