Salmoneus gracilipes Miya 1972

Salmoneus gracilipes Miya, 1972

(Fig. 19)

Salmoneus gracilipes Miya 1972: 38, pl. 3; Miya 1984: 86, figs. 4a–d; Miya 1995: 287; Hayashi 1995: 522, figs. 287b, 288c–f.

Material examined. Indonesia. 1 ov. specimen (OUMNH.ZC. 2014-10-19), southern Lombok, Tanjung Aan (east of Kuta), degraded coral reef flat with some seagrass and abundant rubble, suction pump or under large pieces of coral rubble, 0.5–1 m, leg. D.L. Rahayu et al., 15 May 2014 [LB-St7-17]; 1 ov. specimen (RMNH. CRUS.D.56750), western Lombok, Teluk Medana, seagrass flat with sand, mud, some rubble-gravel, burrow, suction pump, 0.2–0.7 m, 12 May 2014 [LB-St3-22].

Taxonomic account. See Miya (1972); see also Miya (1984) and Hayashi (1995) for additional illustrations.

Habitat. Near-shore sand and sand-mud flats, usually with rocks or coral rubble or seagrass; under coral rocks, occasionally associated with burrows of other animals; depth range: intertidal and shallow subtidal (around 0–5 m).

Distribution. Indo-West Pacific: Japan, Micronesia, Indonesia (new record) (Miya 1972, 1984; present study).

Remarks. Salmoneus gracilipes is reported from Indonesian waters for the first time. This species can be most easily distinguished from other species of the genus by the presence of low smooth ridges on the ventral surface of the major chela (cf. Miya 1972: pl. 3, fig. D). Miya (1972) described the colour of the Japanese specimens as entirely transparent, with dull reddish-orange corneas and yellowish-orange eggs, which perfectly matches both specimens collected in Lombok (Fig. 19).