Numerous species of the genus Carcinoplax H. Milne Edwards were collected during the three MUSORSTOM océanographie expeditions in the Philippines in 1976, 1980 and 1985. Material from the MUSORSTOM collections has been supplemented by brachyuran crabs from the deeps-sea waters around Madagascar. For the identification of this abundant material, the types of many species of Carcinoplax have been examined. Almost all the species of the genus are reviewed, sketched and compared. In 1914, Rathbun published the description of seven new species of Carcinoplax from the Philippines (Albatross, 1907-1910), without giving any illustration. Despite the sketches of the holotypes proposed by Sakaj (1969) for six of the species described by Rathbun, our knowledge of the Philippine Carcinoplax is rather poor. MUSORSTOM expeditions permitted us to rediscover four of the seven species described by Rathbun: C. bispinosa, C. spinosissima, C. confragosa and C. purpurea. The other three species established by Rathbun (1914): C. angusta, C. verdensis, C. specularis never subsequently found (with the exception of C. angusta reported by Zarenkov in 1972 from the gulf of Tonkin) are herein described again, illustrated and compared. The cases of four Indo-Pacific Carcinoplax are dealt with: C. longimanus (de Haan), the type-species, C. indica Doflein, C. surugensis Rathbun, C. microphthalmus Guinot and Richer de Forges. The much debated status of C. indica Doflein in relation to C. longimanus (de Haan) is specified. Near C. longipes (Wood-Mason), two obscure species are placed: C. aff. longipes and Carcinoplax sp. (aff. longipes). Two species discovered in the Chinese waters and described by Chen in 1984 have been found again: C. sinica (Philippines); C. longispinosa (Philippines and Madagascar). Three species collected by the CORINDON 2 expedition in the Makassar Strait are studied: C. confragosa Rathbun, C. spinosissima Rathbun and C. bispinosa Rathbun. Although not collected by the MUSORSTOM expeditions, two Carcinoplax species are reviewed, owing to the direct examination of the types: C. abyssicola (Miers), uncommon, and C. tomentosa Sakai, perhaps endemic to Japan. C. cooki, only known from Hawaii, is illustrated. Two new species both from the Philippines are described: C. polita sp. nov., C. nana sp. nov., and also a third one from the Red Sea, C. monodi sp. nov. Sometimes very important in the genus Carcinoplax, the variations of the anterolateral margin of the carapace and of the relative growth of the chelipeds, in relation to sex and age, are studied in several species represented by a rich material. For the time being, the genus Carcinoplax sensu lato includes 25-27 species, while Sakai reported only 16 species in 1969. |
