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Figure 1 Munida curvipes BENEDICT, 1902 Figure 2 Munida curvipes BENEDICT, 1902 Carapace
family chirostylidae is also under study and numerous new species will be added to the Thoothukudi coast of Gulf
of Mannar, Southeast-west coast of India (Vaitheeswaran, 2014). The material studied was collected in trawl nets
by a fishing vessel, and the reference material Munida curvipes Benedict, 1902 are deposited in the museum
collections of the Department of New Drug Discovery (Marine Invertebrate Division), RARBIO Energies Private
Limited, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India. The specimen were measured and sexed, and one of them was illustrated
and described.
While examining the crustacean catches landed by larger trawlers, which operated in deeper waters off
Thoothukudi, one specimen of squat lobsters was obtained. On closer examination, it was identified as Munida
curvipes and it was new to Thoothukudi waters. Thus, the total number of squat lobsters from India now rose to
52. The taxonomic and systematic position of the present species reported here is followed the new classification
given by Baba (2005) for the Superfamily Galatheoidea. The present record from Thoothukudi coast of Gulf of
Mannar is the first specimen from the coast of main land.
Superfamily: Galatheoidea Samouelle, 1819
Family: Galatheidae Samouelle Ahyong, 2010: 57-68
Genus: Munida Whiteaves, 1874
Munida curvipes Benedict, 1902: 254, figure. 6
Haig, 1955: 38
Retamal, 1981: 22
Wicksten, 1989: 315 (listed)
Hendrickx, 2000: 164 (table 1)
Retamal and Jara, 2002: 206 (listed)
Hendrickx, 2003a: 116, figure 1
Baba, 2005: 261
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Figure 3 Munida curvipes BENEDICT, 1902, right cheliped, dorsal view
2 Materials Examined
One male specimen (total length 29 mm; carapace length 16 mm; weighing about 5 gm) collected from
Thoothukudi beach between 08º 35’ 22.5” N lat. 78º 27’ 40.9” E long and 08º 31’ 91.2”N lat. 78º 25’ 32.7”E long
at a depth of 305-310 m, Thoothukudi district, TamilNadu, India (Figure 1, 2, 3, and 4). The reference materials
are deposited in the museum collections of the Department of New Drug Discovery (Marine Invertebrate
Division), RARBIO Energies Private Limited, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India.
3 Remarks
The specimens examined agree quite well with the original description and figures provided by Benedict (1902).
Carapace with distinct transverse striae, very setose; secondary striae reduced in branchial regions (Figure 2).
Cervical groove well marked. Pterygostomian flap narrow, not inflated. Two pairs of epigastric spines, the
anterior pair the strongest and more closely set than the posterior pair which is smaller. A small parahepatic spine.
A pair of small anterobranchial spines, the anteriormost very small. Frontal margin transversally oblique. Lateral
margin (right) slightly convex. Rostrum of type broken, narrow at base. Supraocular spines short, slightly
diverging, overreaching anterior margin of cornea. Anterolateral spines sharp, shorter than supraocular spines and
not reaching the level of the sinus between rostrum and supraocular spines. Anterior branchial margin armed with
3 long, sharp spines, the anterior slightly longer; posterior branchial margin armed with 2 slightly curved spines; 6
spines on lateral margins of entire carapace (excluding anterolateral). Sternal plastron (sternites 3-7) wider than
long; third thoracic sternite projected anteriorly; fourth sternite very narrow anteriorly, its length less than 1/2 its
width; surface of sternite 4-7 punctate; sternites 5 to 7 with transverse ridges obtuse, strongly granulated. Second
abdominal segment with three pairs of strong, sharp dorsal spines, two lateral pairs and one central, the later
stronger. Third and fourth abdominal segments without spines. Eyes small, their cornea diameter about equal to
length of supraocular spines and less than 1/3 the distance between the base of anterolateral spines. Distal spines
of antennular basal segment subequal, the distolateral slightly longer; two lateral spines (inner damaged), the outer
spine the same length as the distomesial spine, the inner spine apparently much longer (projected) (Figure. 1 and
2). First (basal) segment of antennal peduncle with a sharp distomesial spine reaching end of second segment;
second segment with sharp distolateral and distomesial spines, the later reaching about midlength of third
segment; a sharp, short distal spine on lateral margin of third and fourth segments. Ischium and merus of third
maxilliped of about same length; ischium with a distoventral spine; merus with two strong spines on flexor margin;
extensor margin unarmed. Chelipeds and walking legs squamous. Chelipeds strong, wide, about twice as long as
carapace (including rostrum), with rows of strong spines on all joints; spines particularly strong on distal half of
merus and upper margin of carpus; merus with one row of strong, sharp spines dividing into two rows in distal
third, two ventral parallel rows of medium to small spines, and one row of spines on each lateral side; carpus stout,
longer than 1/2 merus length, about same length as dactylus: fingers shorter than propodus (palm); manus with an
outer row of spines in addition to dorsal and ventral rows; fingers with spines on proximal part (Figure. 3).
Pereiopods very slender. Second pereiopod with strong spines along the upper edge of merus and carpus; lower
edge of merus with less numerous, medium to small size spines, except the most distal one which are longer;
carpus without ventral spines, except for one sharp distal spine; propodus about 3/4 merus length, without dorsal
spines and with movable spinules on the ventral margin; dactylus about 2/3 propodus length, flexor margin
spinulated.
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Figure 4 Munida curvipes BENEDICT, 1902, upper part of Sternum
4 Colour
Body yellowish-brown to orange-red; abdominal somites 5–6 and telson whitish; rostrum bordered by white or
light brown band; pereopods light brown, dactyli whitish by Macpherson (2007).
Acknowledgements
The author is thankful to Thiru M. Kathirvel, former Principal Scientist of Central Institute of Brackishwater Aquaculture (I.C.A.R.),
Chennai, for critical reading of the manuscript and helpful suggestion for its improvement. Dr. K. Baba, Professor, Kumamoto
University, Japan, has provided me with literature on squat lobsters taxonomy. I wish to thank Thiru. K. Deenadhayalan, my friend
and Professional photographer, Trichy, India, for their photograph of this specimen.
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