Upogebia jamaicensis Thistle 1973

Upogebia jamaicensis Thistle, 1973

Upogebia jamaicensis Thistle, 1973:16, fig. 4.

MATERIAL EXAMINED.—JAMAICA: USNM 41748, (holotype), Montego Bay, salt water pond, E.A. Andrews, 24 Jun 1910; USNM 138896 (paratype), same; USNM 138897, (paratype), same; USNM 138898, 1 , Montego Bay, brackish pond, C.B. Wilson, 2 Jul 1910; USNM 251222, 1 , Montego Bay, brackish pond near sea beach, C.B. Wilson, 24 Jun 1910; USNM 251223, 2 ovig., Montego Bay, from brackish pond, C.B. Wilson, 29 Jun 1910.

PANAMA; USNM 251176, 5 (1 juv.), 3 (1 ovig.). Colon, small embayment 9.1 mi E Maria Chiquita on Portobello Road, 0–0.9 m (0–3 ft), sandy, mud, mangrove, ebb low tide, 31°C, 21 ppt, 0–23 m (75 ft) offshore, noxfish, Dawson and Dawson sta 1491, 3 Jul 1971; USNM 251177, 1 3 (2 ovig.), 8 juvs., Colon, embayment at 9 mi E Maria Chiquita on Portobello Road, 0–0.9 m (0–3 ft), 0–15 m (50 ft) offshore, Thalassia, ebb tide, 27 ppt, chemfish, Dawson and Dawson sta 1493, 4 Jul 1971.

COLOMBIA; USNM 251422, 11 ,6 (2 ovig., 1 juv.), Baru, mouth of Cienaga, Porto Nao, intertidal, yabby pump, R. Lemaitre, SOSC, 24 Jul 1988; USNM 251423, 1 , 1 , same; USNM 256062, 113 ,69 (36 ovig.), same locality, very shallow mud flat inside lagoon near mouth, some sea grass (‘Thalassia), numerous burrow openings, yabby pump, R. Lemaitre, SOSC, sta B#6A, 18 Jul 1991; USNM 256061,38 , 41 (17 ovig.), same, sta B#6B, 19 Jul 1991; USNM 251182, 1 , south coast of Bahía de Barbacoas, Caribbean coast, “Colombiana de Acuicultura” shrimp ponds 1 and 5, with shovel, S. Nates, 13 Dec 1991.

DIAGNOSIS.—Projections to either side of rostrum ending in acute spine. Postocular spines number 4–6. Row of acute spines on shoulder lateral to cervical groove. Abdominal sternites unarmed. T subrectangular. Carpus of cheliped with moderate spine on anteromesial margin. P2 with proximal mesioventral spine on merus; P3 with 2 dorsal spines on merus, distal and subdistal; merus of P4 spineless.

DESCRIPTION.—Rostrum triangular, slightly downturned, long, reaching level of articulation between penultimate and terminal articles of antennal peduncle in male, shorter in female, tip exceeding eyestalks; dorsal pair of strong subapical spines followed on each side, after moderate interval in male and much smaller space in female, by 3–6 spines nearly equal in length; about of carapace surface anterior to cervical groove bearing pilose tufts, each emerging anterior to elements of an armature changing from spiny anteriorly to subspiny posteriorly; divergent lateral ridge bearing crest of 12 spines, strongest on process lateral to rostrum and decreasing somewhat posteriorly. Adults and subadults with shoulder lateral to cervical groove bearing about 6–11 acute spines below intersection with thalassinidean line, smaller individuals with spines weak or undeveloped, 2–3 of larger spines near notch in anterior carapace margin (incisura clavicularis; see Holthuis, 1974:734, 737) with bases united. Postocular spines numbering 4–6. Clump of about 3 spines on lateral aspect of head below lateral ridge and anterior to thalassinidean line (gastroobital region).

Abdominal sternites unarmed; AVI with lateral margin sinuous, widest at midlength, dorsal sulcus running obliquely anterolaterad from notch anterior to posterolateral corner and usually becoming obsolete on dorsal surface; but sulcus becoming obsolescent in large adults and arcing toward anterolateral corner.

T subrectangular, a little wider than long.

Eyestalk stout, convex ventrally; cornea slightly narrower than diameter of stalk.

A1 peduncle reaching to about proximal of terminal article of A2 peduncle, its proximal 2 articles together slightly longer than terminal article.

A2 peduncle with only terminal article extending beyond tip of rostrum in male, but penultimate article also extending beyond shorter rostrum of female; article 2 spineless; scale moderate, oval.

Mxp3 bearing epipod.

Epistomial projection acuminate in lateral view.

Chelipeds with ventral margin of coxa bearing a hooked spine; ischium bearing 2, rarely 3 slender spines. Merus with row of 5–6 strong acuminate spines on ventral margin, single subdistal dorsal spine reaching level of midpostocular row. Carpus trigonal, shallow longitudinal groove laterally; strong spine at anterior ventrolateral corner and 1 or more spines of variable strength preceding it; mesiodorsal crest of about 4–6 irregular spines behind prominent spine on anterior margin, partly obscured by setae in proximal part of row, and short oblique row of 3 or more spines diverging from proximal end onto dorsal surface in male, 2 moderate spines on anterodorsal margin mesial to articulation of propodus; stout spine near middle of anteromesial margin. Palm length including fixed finger about twice maximal height in male, about 2.7 times in female, lateral oblique row of setae ending anteriorly in patch of long setae near base of fixed finger; dorsal row of spines becoming smaller and more crowded anteriorly; male bearing parallel mesiodorsal row of smaller somewhat irregular spines becoming obsolescent distally, and remote spine on condyle of dactyl; anterolateral row of stout spines increasing to clump of stout spines near condyle of dactyl (much less developed in female); lower mesial surface spineless but bearing low transversely arcuate ridge proximally. Fixed finger of male much shorter than dactyl, stout, hooked, continuing from downcurved ventral edge of palm and tapering to slender tip, 4–6 or more crowded, evenly rounded small teeth on proximal prehensile edge; short triangular with slender apex in female, 4 teeth on proximal prehensile edge. Dactyl much longer than fixed finger, ribbed and bearing dense setae in rows; corneous tip preceded on distally toothless prehensile edge by strong tooth opposing tip of fixed finger at — length, with about 3–5 smaller rounded teeth proximal to this tooth and 1 similar tooth close by distally; curved extensor surface bearing about 3–6 small proximal tubercles.

P2 reaching about to distal of palm; carpus with obsolescent distodorsal spine and tiny, acute, subdistal ventral spine; merus with small subdistal dorsal spine and strong proximal mesioventral spine; coxa with strong proximal and smaller distal spine posteromesially. Merus of P3 with distal and subdistal dorsal spines, row of slender ventral spines, and scattered smaller spines, posterolaterally; ischium with distoventral spine, and mesial spine on coxa. P4 spineless.

U with acute spine on protopod above base of mesial ramus; mesial rib of lateral ramus bearing rounded eminence proximally.

MEASUREMENTS (in mm).—Holotype , acl 9.0, cl 15.0, chl 6.4, chh 3.8; paratype , same, 7.9, 11.8, 5.1, 1.9.

KNOWN RANGE.—Confined to the material examined.