Different gene rearrangements of the genus Dardanus (Anomura: Diogenidae) and insights into the phylogeny of Paguroidea.

Complete mitochondrial genomes (mitogenomes) can provide useful information for phylogenetic relationships, gene rearrangement, and molecular evolution. In this study, the complete mitogenomes of two hermit crabs, Dardanus arrosor and Dardanus aspersus, were sequenced for the first time and compared with other published mitogenomes of Paguroidea. Each of the two mitogenomes contains an entire set of 37 genes and a putative control region, but they display different gene arrangements. The different arrangements of the two mitogenomes might be the result of transposition, reversal, and tandem duplication/random loss events from the ancestral pancrustacean pattern. Genome sequence similarity analysis reveals the gene rearrangement in 15 Paguroidea mitogenomes. After synteny analysis between the 15 Paguroidea mitogenomes, an obvious rearranged region is found in D. aspersus mitogenome. Across the 13 protein-coding genes (PCGs) tested, COI has the least and ND6 has the largest genetic distances among the 15 hermit crabs, indicating varied evolution rates of PCGs. In addition, the dN/dS ratio analysis shows that all PCGs are evolving under purifying selection. The phylogenetic analyses based on both gene order and sequence data present the monophyly of three families (Paguridae, Coenobitidae, and Pylochelidae) and the paraphyly of the family Diogenidae. Meanwhile, the phylogenetic tree based on the nucleotide sequences of 13 PCGs shows that two Dardanus species formed a sister group with five Coenobitidae species. These findings help to better understand the gene rearrangement and phylogeny of Paguroidea, as well as provide new insights into the usefulness of mitochondrial gene order as a phylogenetic marker.

A new species of the squat lobster genus Uroptychodes Baba, 2004 (Decapoda: Anomura: Chirostylidae) from Japan.

A new species of the chirostylid squat lobster genus Uroptychodes Baba, 2004, U. fuscilineatus, is described and illustrated on the basis of a single ovigerous female from the Uraga Channel, central Japan, at depth of 250 m. The new species appears most similar to U. spinimarginatus (Henderson, 1885) and U. yapensis Dong, Gan Li, 2021 among the 13 known congeners, but is notable in the pereopod 2 not being definitely more slender than the pereopods 3 and 4 and the remarkably spinose pereopods 14. A possible association of the new species with crinoid is suggested. An updated identification key to species of Uroptychodes is presented.

Checklist of decapod crustaceans from the coast of the São Paulo state (Brazil) supported by integrative molecular and morphological data: IV. Infraorder Anomura: Superfamilies Chirostyloidea, Galatheoidea, Hippoidea and Paguroidea.

This checklist is the fourth contribution resulting from a long-term multidisciplinary project which combined morphological analyses and molecular techniques (mitochondrial DNA markers) for accurate identification of marine and coastal decapod crustaceans of São Paulo State (Brazil). We provide a list of 63 species of the following 11 families of 4 superfamilies of Anomura: Albuneidae (4 spp.), Blepharipodidae (1 sp.), Chirostylidae (1 sp.), Diogenidae (18 spp.), Hippidae (1 sp.), Munididae (8 spp.), Munidopsidae (1 sp.), Paguridae (13 spp.), Parapaguridae (2 spp.), Porcellanidae (13 spp.), and Pylochelidae (1 sp.). Seven species previously reported from the region were neither collected nor found in museum collections during our study, including one (Sympagurus dimorphus) that we suggest to be removed from São Paulo coast fauna lists. We generated new sequences of cytochrome oxidase subunit I (barcode region) and 16S genes of 44 species. This anomuran inventory may serve as guideline for future studies on taxonomy, conservation, population genetics, biogeography, and phylogenetics, which might flag species that deserve further investigations and concerns.

Squat lobsters (Crustacea: Decapoda: Anomura: Galatheoidea) from off the northwestern coast of the Baja California Peninusla, Mexico.

Four species of squat lobsters were collected off the northwestern coast of the Baja California Peninsula, Mexico, during an exploratory survey of fishing resources. Janethogalathea californiensis, described from California was previously known from off the west coast of the Baja California Peninsula (two localities) and from the Gulf of California (three localities). Of the three species of Munida collected during the survey, M. tenella is recorded off the west coast of the Baja California Peninsula for the first time. These are the fourth record of M. hispida and the second record of M. quadrispina in western Mexico.

Novel gene rearrangement in the mitochondrial genome of Coenobita brevimanus (Anomura: Coenobitidae) and phylogenetic implications for Anomura.

The complete mitochondrial genomes (mitogenomes) can indicate phylogenetic relationships among organisms, as well as useful information about the process of molecular evolution and gene rearrangement mechanisms. However, knowledge on the complete mitogenome of Coenobitidae (Decapoda: Anomura) is quite scarce. Here, we describe in detail the complete mitogenome of Coenobita brevimanus, which is 16,393 bp in length, and contains 13 protein-coding genes, two ribosomal RNA, 22 transfer RNA genes, as well as a putative control region. The genome composition shows a moderate A + T bias (65.0%), and exhibited a negative AT-skew (-0.148) and a positive GC-skew (0.183). Five gene clusters (or genes) involving eleven tRNAs and two PCGs were found to have rearranged with respect to the pancrustacean ground pattern gene order. Duplication-random loss and recombination models were determined as most likely to explain the observed large-scale gene rearrangements. Phylogenetic analysis placed all Coenobitidae species into one clade. The polyphyly of Paguroidea was well supported, whereas the non-monophyly of Galatheoidea was inconsistence with previous findings on Anomura. Taken together, our results help to better understand gene rearrangement process and the evolutionary status of C. brevimanus and lay a foundation for further phylogenetic studies of Anomura.

Development and characterization of 20 polymorphic microsatellite loci in the deep sea squat lobster, Munida isos Ahyong and Poore, 2004 and cross-amplification in two congeneric species.

Munida isos is a deep sea squat lobster species that is widely distributed across the New Zealand and east Australian region, and is often associated with deep sea vulnerable marine ecosystems. To investigate its population genetic structure and patterns of regional connectivity, microsatellite loci were developed for M. isos from two genomic libraries using the Illumina HiSeq 2500 sequencing platform. Twenty-six loci amplified consistently in M. isos from the Tasman Sea, among which 20 were polymorphic and selectively neutral. Evidence of null alleles was observed at eight loci. Most loci exhibited moderate to high levels of polymorphism, with an average polymorphic information content value of 0.482. The mean number of alleles per locus was 7.45, with a mean expected heterozygosity of 0.520. Thirteen loci exhibited significant deviation from Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium, while only one locus pair was in linkage disequilibrium after false discovery rate correction for multiple testing (P < 0.05). Cross-species amplification tests revealed that the transferability of 14 loci (70%) was positive for the two congeners M. endeavourae and M. gracilis. The accessibility to new polymorphic microsatellite loci will facilitate population genetic studies and aid in developing conservation and management strategies for vulnerable marine ecosystems.

MicroCT imaging applied to description of a new species of Pagurus Fabricius, 1775 (Crustacea: Decapoda: Anomura: Paguridae), with selection of three-dimensional type data.

A new species of hermit crab, Pagurus fraserorum n. sp. (family Paguridae) is described from rocky subtidal reefs off KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, and illustrated using both conventional drawings and colour photographs, and via three-dimensional (3D) X-ray micro-computed tomography (µCT). Because of the limitation µCT has in detecting very fine and soft structures, a novel approach of manually drawing setation and spinulation onto the two-dimensional images of the 3D visualizations was used to illustrate the pereopods. In addition, an interactive figure and rotation movie clips in the supplement section complement the species description, and the 3D raw data of the 3D type data are downloadable from the Gigascience Database repository. The new species is the sixth species of Pagurus Fabricius, 1775 reported from South Africa and is closely allied to the Indo-Pacific P. boriaustraliensis Morgen, 1990 and P. pitagsaleei McLaughlin, 2002, from which it differs by its shorter ocular peduncles, by the armature of the carpus of the right cheliped, and also in colouration. This study presents the first description of a hermit crab in which a majority of taxonomic details are illustrated through 3D volume-rendered illustrations. In addition, colour photographs and COI molecular barcodes are provided, and the latter compared to COI sequences of specimens from Western Australia previously identified as P. boriaustraliensis and of specimens of P. pitagsaleei from Taiwan, as well as to three additional South African members of the genus. The South African taxon was confirmed to be genetically distinct from all species tested.

ORDER within the chaos: Insights into phylogenetic relationships within the Anomura (Crustacea: Decapoda) from mitochondrial sequences and gene order rearrangements.

The infraorder Anomura consists of a morphologically and ecologically heterogeneous group of decapod crustaceans, and has attracted interest from taxonomists for decades attempting to find some order out of the seemingly chaotic diversity within the group. Species-level diversity within the Anomura runs the gamut from the "hairy" spindly-legged yeti crab found in deep-sea hydrothermal vent environments to the largest known terrestrial invertebrate, the robust coconut or robber crab. Owing to a well-developed capacity for parallel evolution, as evidenced by the occurrence of multiple independent carcinization events, Anomura has long tested the patience and skill of both taxonomists attempting to find order, and phylogeneticists trying to establish stable hypotheses of evolutionary inter-relationships. In this study, we performed genome skimming to recover the mitogenome sequences of 12 anomuran species including the world's largest extant invertebrate, the robber crab (Birgus latro), thereby over doubling these resources for this group, together with 8 new brachyuran mitogenomes. Maximum-likelihood (ML) and Bayesian-inferred (BI) phylogenetic reconstructions based on amino acid sequences from mitogenome protein-coding genes provided strong support for the monophyly of the Anomura and Brachyura and their sister relationship, consistent with previous studies. The majority of relationships within families were supported and were largely consistent with current taxonomic classifications, whereas many relationships at higher taxonomic levels were unresolved. Nevertheless, we have strong support for a polyphyletic Paguroidea and recovered a well-supported clade of a subset of paguroids (Diogenidae + Coenobitidae) basal to all other anomurans, though this requires further testing with greater taxonomic sampling. We also introduce a new feature to the MitoPhAST bioinformatics pipeline (https://github.com/mht85/MitoPhAST) that enables the extraction of mitochondrial gene order (MGO) information directly from GenBank files and clusters groups based on common MGOs. Using this tool, we compared MGOs across the Anomura and Brachyura, identifying Anomura as a taxonomic "hot spot" with high variability in MGOs among congeneric species from multiple families while noting the broad association of highly-rearranged MGOs with several anomuran lineages inhabiting extreme niches. We also demonstrate the value of MGOs as a source of novel synapomorphies for independently reinforcing tree-based relationships and for shedding light on relationships among challenging groups such as the Aegloidea and Lomisoidea that were unresolved in phylogenetic reconstructions. Overall, this study contributes a substantial amount of new genetic material for Anomura and attempts to further resolve anomuran evolutionary relationships where possible based on a combination of sequence and MGO information. The new feature in MitoPhAST adds to the relatively limited number of bioinformatics tools available for MGO analyses, which can be utilized widely across animal groups.

A new yeti crab phylogeny: Vent origins with indications of regional extinction in the East Pacific.

The recent discovery of two new species of kiwaid squat lobsters on hydrothermal vents in the Pacific Ocean and in the Pacific sector of the Southern Ocean has prompted a re-analysis of Kiwaid biogeographical history. Using a larger alignment with more fossil calibrated nodes than previously, we consider the precise relationship between Kiwaidae, Chirostylidae and Eumunididae within Chirostyloidea (Decapoda: Anomura) to be still unresolved at present. Additionally, the placement of both new species within a new "Bristly" clade along with the seep-associated Kiwa puravida is most parsimoniously interpreted as supporting a vent origin for the family, rather than a seep-to-vent progression. Fossil-calibrated divergence analysis indicates an origin for the clade around the Eocene-Oligocene boundary in the eastern Pacific ~33-38 Ma, coincident with a lowering of bottom temperatures and increased ventilation in the Pacific deep sea. Likewise, the mid-Miocene (~10-16 Ma) rapid radiation of the new Bristly clade also coincides with a similar cooling event in the tropical East Pacific. The distribution, diversity, tree topology and divergence timing of Kiwaidae in the East Pacific is most consistent with a pattern of extinctions, recolonisations and radiations along fast-spreading ridges in this region and may have been punctuated by large-scale fluctuations in deep-water ventilation and temperature during the Cenozoic; further affecting the viability of Kiwaidae populations along portions of mid-ocean ridge.

Systematics and biogeography of Cuban porcelain crabs (Decapoda: Anomura: Porcellanidae).

Marine crustaceans are a well-known invertebrates group in Cuban waters, but some taxa are not well catalogued and the literature about them is scattered. In this work, we present the checklist of porcelain crabs of Cuban Archipelago, including the literature registers and unpublished author's data. A key to the identification of 8 genera and 23 species of the Cuban porcelain crabs is provided. Information about the local distribution of species is presented. In addition, we analyzed the porcelain crab faunal affinities between the ecoregions of the Cuban platform, Greater Antilles islands and the Tropical Northwestern Atlantic (TNA) province. For the first time, we record the presence of the monotypic genus Parapetrolisthes Haig in Cuba. On the Cuban platform, the highest similarities are between the Southcentral and Northwestern ecoregions (50%) and between Northcentral and Northeastern (40%). In the Greater Antilles, Cuba and Puerto Rico are the most similar (54%), but in general, the porcelain crab composition shows a high variation (e. g. 19% between Hispaniola and Puerto Rico). In the Tropical Northwestern Atlantic, five homogeneous groups of porcelain crab species are distinguished. Cuban fauna is most similar to that of Floridian, Western Caribbean and Southern Gulf of Mexico ecoregions. The decrease in species richness is evident from south to north in the TNA Province.

A new species of the genus Diogenes Dana, 1851 (Crustacea: Decapoda: Anomura: Diogenidae) from Gujarat, northwestern India.

A new species of diogenid hermit crab, Diogenes chhapgari n. sp., is described on the basis of material collected during the crustacean faunal survey along the coastal areas of the Gujarat State, northwestern India. The new species is referred to the D. edwardsii (De Haan, 1849) species group and appears closest to D. singaporensis Rahayu, 2015. However, D. chhapgari n. sp. is distinguished from this species by the armature on the fourth segment of the antennal peduncle and carpus of the left cheliped.

Morphological and molecular data reveal the cryptic diversity among populations of Aegla paulensis (Decapoda, Anomura, Aeglidae), with descriptions of four new species and comments on dispersal routes and conservation status.

The taxonomy of the Brazilian aeglid species Aegla paulensis Schmitt, 1942 from two disjunct hydrographic basins is revised using morphological and molecular data. Results show that six disjunctive populations of Aegla paulensis form a species complex. Aegla paulensis sensu stricto is redescribed and Aegla rosanae Campos Jr., 1998 is revalidated. The four remaining populations previously assigned to Aegla paulensis are now recognized as different species, namely Aegla  vanini n. sp., Aegla japi n. sp., Aegla jaragua n. sp. and Aegla jundiai n. sp. All new species are described and illustrated and are well supported by both morphological and molecular data. Aegla lancinhas Bond-Buckup & Buckup in Santos et al., 2015, which until recently was confounded with Aegla paulensis s. str., is supported as a valid species. A key to all members of the A. paulensis species complex is provided, and their phylogenetic and biogeographic relationships to other closely related species is discussed.

A review of the genus Spiropagurus Stimpson, 1858 (Crustacea: Decapoda: Paguridae) from the China seas.

Three species of the genus Spiropagurus Stimpson, 1858, are reported in the present paper, including a new species, S. monospinosus sp. nov. This new species is easily recognized by the carpus of the cheliped bearing only one row of spines, whereas two rows are present in the other two species from the China seas. A key to all the species of Spiropagurus is provided.

A new species of the hermit crab genus Alainopaguroides McLaughlin, 1997 (Crustacea: Decapoda: Anomura: Paguridae) from the South China Sea.

A new species of the pagurid hermit crab, Alainopaguroides sinensis sp. nov., is described and illustrated on the basis of a single ovigerous female specimen collected from the South China Sea. It is immediately distinguished from other known congeneric species by the possession of a subdistal spine on the lateral margin of the basal segment of the antennular peduncle, although the most similar congener is A. andamanensis McLauglin, 2002. This is the first record of the genus from the South China Sea. An identification key to the species of the genus Alainopaguroides McLaughlin, 1997 is provided.

A new species of the hermit crab genus Areopaguristes Rahayu & McLaughlin (Crustacea, Decapoda, Anomura, Paguroidea, Diogenidae) from the Mexican Pacific.

A new species of hermit crab, Areopaguristes espetacioni, family Diogenidae, is described and illustrated in detail, including the color pattern in live/fresh specimens. This is the fifth species of Areopaguristes reported from the eastern Pacific. Given the morphological similarity between Areopaguristes espetacioni n. sp. and A. tudgei Lemaitre & Felder, 2012, these can be considered sister species. The presence of a long rostrum, the antennal flagella with short setae, chelipeds and ambulatories legs with dense plumose setae, and telson with calcareous teeth on the posterior margin allow to separate Areopaguristes espetacioni n. sp. from all other species in the genus previously described for the region. A key for Areopaguristes species from the eastern tropical Pacific is provided.

A new species of Munidopsis Whiteaves, 1874 (Crustacea: Decapoda: Anomura) from the Northwest Indian Ocean Ridge.

A new species, Munidopsis militaris n. sp., from the Carlsberg Ridge, Northwest Indian Ocean Ridge is described herein. The species belongs to a group of species having a pair of epigastric spines, mesial and lateral eye-spines, abdominal tergites unarmed, five or six spines on the lateral margin of the carapace, and a denticulate carina on the distolateral margin of the P1 fixed finger. It can be distinguished from its relatives by the spinous lateral margin of the palm and dorsal carinae on the P2-4 propodus. The Munidopsis fauna of the Indian Ocean Ridge is seldom reported on; this new species is the sixth member of this genus found inhabiting the Indian Ocean Ridge.

A new species of hermit crab of the genus Pagurus Fabricius, 1775 (Crustacea: Anomura: Paguridae) from the southern Caribbean off Venezuela.

A male specimen of a new species of the heterogeneous genus Pagurus Fabricius, 1775, collected in 1968 off the Caribbean coast of Venezuela, was discovered among the vast crustacean collections of the Smithsonian Institution. This new species herein described and illustrated is named P. scopaopsis, and is characterized primarily by the presence of: a brush-like setation pattern on the dactyl of the left third pereopod, dense small tubercles on the dorsal surfaces of the dactyl and fixed finger of the right chela, and a raised longitudinal ridge armed with spines on the palm and fixed finger of the left chela.

"Symmetrical" hermit crabs of the family Pylochelidae (Crustacea: Decapoda: Anomura) collected by the "BIOPAPUA" and "PAPUA NIUGINI" expeditions in the Papua New Guinea, with descriptions of two new species.

Collections made during the recent expeditions to Papua New Guinea ("BIOPAPUA", 2010; "PAPUA NIUGINI", 2012) yielded a total of 12 species from the "symmetrical" hermit crab family Pylochelidae, including two new to science: Bathycheles incisus (Forest, 1987), B. integer (Forest, 1987), Cheiroplatea laticauda Boas, 1926, C. pumicicola Forest, 1987, C. rotundioculus n. sp., Pylocheles mortensenii Boas, 1926, and Xylocheles macrops (Forest, 1987) (Pylochelinae); Parapylocheles scorpio (Alcock, 1894), Trizocheles manningi Forest, 1987, T. moosai Forest, 1987, T. sakaii Forest, 1987, and T. spinidigitus n. sp. (Trizochelinae). Affinities of the two new species are discussed. Parapylocheles scorpio, Trizocheles manningi and T. sakaii are recorded from the South Pacific for the first time. Revised identification keys to species of Cheiroplatea and Trizocheles are provided.

Porcelain crabs from Brazil (Crustacea: Decapoda: Anomura: Porcellanidae).

Twenty species of porcelain crabs are reported on the basis of material collected from Brazilian coasts. Considering the lack of systematic studies comprehending the Brazilian porcellanids, the present work presents a review of the regional species based on the current taxonomic information. New records, information about variation between specimens and a taxonomic discussion are given for porcellanid crabs from Brazil.

Notes on holotypes of hermit crabs (Decapoda: Anomura: Paguroidea) deposited in the collection of Zoological Museum of RAS (Saint-Petersburg, Russia) with remarks on hermit crab diversity along the Russian coast of the Sea of Japan.

The holotype of Clibanarius sachalinicus Kobjakova, 1955 and Clibanarius hirsutimanus Kobjakova, 1971 in the collection of Zoological Institute of Russian Academy of Sciences (Saint-Petersburg, Russia) are examined. As a result, Clibanarius hirsutimanus Kobjakova, 1971 is found to be a species of Areopaguristes nigroapiculus (Komai, 2009) while Clibanarius sachalinicus Kobjakova, 1955 is a species of Clibanarius virescens (Krauss, 1843). Remarks on a single record of Diogenes penicillatus Stimpson, 1858 from Shamora Bay (Usury Bay) of the Sea of Japan as well as current faunal list of hermit crabs from the Russian coasts of the Sea of Japan are also presented in the paper.