A New Species of the Hermit Crab Genus Pagurixus (Crustacea: Decapoda: Anomura: Paguridae) from Shallow Coral Reefs of Ishigaki Island, Ryukyu Islands

Abstract

Pagurixus nanus, a new species of pagurid hermit crab, is described from shallow coral reefs of Ishigaki Island, Yaeyama Islands, the Ryukyus. Most of the specimens were collected by using traps designed for sampling the fauna associated with coral rubble. The new species belongs to the P. anceps species group due to the lack of two ventral rows of setae on the ultimate segment of the antennular peduncle, but it appears unique in having one or two small, subproximal spines on the dorsal surfaces of the carpi of the second pereopods. Morphological characteristics suggest that P. nanus is close to P. anceps (Forest, 1954) and P. patiae Komai, 2006.