Harpiosquilla stephensoni

Harpiosquilla stephensoni

?Squilla sp. [Alima pyramidalis].—Foxon, 1932, p. 381 [larva; ? several species; identification questioned by Ingle and Delia Croce, 1967].

Squilla raphidea.—Tate, 1883, p. 48 [?].—Stephenson, 1952, p. 4; 1953, p. 43 [part?].—Stephenson and McNeill, 1955, p. 239 [part] [not S. raphidea Fabricius].

Harpiosquilla harpax.—Manning, 1966, p. 87, fig. 1 [not S. harpax de Haan].

Harpiosquilla sp.—Manning, 1968a, fig. 4.

HOLOTYPE.—1 ♀ , 315 mm; Port Curtis, Queensland, Australia; seine net over flat; no other data; AM P–9664.

PARATYPES.—1 ♀ , 220 mm; near Emery Point, Darwin Harbour, Northern Territory; taken in seine net

off beach; Capt. E. F. Wells, col.; early 1954; AM P–12382.—1 ♀ , 170 mm; same data; SI Crust. 111354.—1 ♀ , 168 mm; Darwin Harbour, Northern Territory; no other data; AM P–12770.—1 ♀ , 240 mm; same; in 60 ft; C. W. Holman, col.; 2 July 1962; AM P–14924.—4 ♂ , 136–202 mm; 1 ♀ , 135 mm; southern Gulf of Carpentaria, Queensland; 14 fms or less; CSIRO Prawn Survey; December 1963; AM P–15503 to P–15507.—1 ♂ , 208 mm; southeastern Gulf of Carpentaria, Queensland; 14 fms or less; CSIRO Prawn Survey; December 1963; AM P–15509.—1 broken ♀ , CL 51.6 mm; Cairns Inlet, northern Queensland; AM P–9685.—1 ♀ , 245 mm; Port Curtis area, Queensland; M. Ward and W. Boardman, col.; July 1929; AM P–14925.—1 ♀ , 277 mm; same; AM P–14926.—1 ♀ , 272 mm; Port Curtis, Queensland; SI Crust. 125720.

DIAGNOSIS.—Size large, adults with TL to 315 mm; antennular peduncle shorter than carapace; corneal indices ranging between 336 and 434 (Table 1); rostral plate (Figure 12) as long as or slightly longer than broad, apex obtusely angled or rounded, not projecting anteriorly; carapace with median carina; upper margin of propodus of claw with smaller spines and denticles between largest spines; dactylus of claw with 7 teeth, outer margin of dactylus (Figure 13) with prominent obtusely rounded projection in adult males; fifth thoracic somite (Figure 15) angled laterally or with lateral acute projection; last 3 thoracic somites with submedian and intermediate carinae, intermediates unarmed; ventral keel of eighth thoracic somite

rounded; submedian carinae present on all 6 abdominal somites, abdominal carinae armed as follows: submedian 6, intermediate 2–6, lateral 1–6, marginal 1–5; denticles 4–6, 6–11, 1, usually 5–6, 7–8, 1; marginal carina less than twice as long as carina of lateral tooth; postanal keel extending slightly more than halfway between anus and posterior margin; at most inner half of distal segment of uropodal exopod dark.

COLOR.—Black transverse line present on dorsum between antennular and ophthalmic somites; antennal scale lacking any marked concentration of dark pigment; carinae, grooves, and both anterior and posterior margins of carapace dark; display patch on dorsal surface of merus yellow, with proximal dark oval bar; last 3 thoracic and first 5 abdominal somites with dark posterior line and irregular dark area on dorsum; telson with pair of oval or elongate dark spots on anterior dorsal surface; proximal portion of anterior margin of uropod dark; proximal segment of uropodal exopod with inner dark patch, distal segment with dark, diffuse pigment on inner half or third; distal half of endopod darker than proximal, but apex light.

J. C. Yaldwyn made available a color slide taken by D. F. McMichael of one specimen, AM P–l 5507. Most of the pattern mentioned above is visible. The background color of the body is ivory. The major difference from the pattern on the same specimen in preservative is that there is but one anterior, elongate patch of dark pigment on the telson; it is not broken into two submedian patches.

SIZE.—Males TL 136–272 mm; females TL 135–315 mm. Only H. raphidea, among the currently known species of Harpiosquilla, grows to such a large size; it is known to reach 335 mm in total length.

Other measurements of female holotype, TL 315 mm: carapace length 59.1; cornea width 14.4; antennular peduncle length 46.7; rostral plate length 10.9, width 9.9; raptorial propodus length 79.2; fifth abdominal somite width 61.4; telson length 57.2, width 55.6.