The Identity of Pagurus brachiomastus and Descriptions of Two New Species of Pagurus (Crustacea : Decapoda : Anomura : Paguridae) from the Northwestern Pacific

Abstract

Critical examination of abundant material from various localities in Japan and the Russian Far East has revealed that three distinct species have been confounded under the name Pagurus brachiomastus (Thallwitz, 1891). The holotype of Pagurus brachiomastus is no longer extant ; thus, in the interest of nomenclatural stability, a neotype is designated. Pagurus brachiomastus is redescribed and two new species, P. proximus and P. simulans, are described and illustrated. Differences in morphology and coloration are discussed. The three species are, for the most part, geographically or bathymetrically separated, although their distributions may partly overlap.