Family DORIPPIDAE MacLeay, 1838

<em>Paradorippe australiensis</em> [from Miers 1884: pl. 26 fig. D]

Paradorippe australiensis [from Miers 1884: pl. 26 fig. D]

Museums

Museum list

Regional Maps

Family DORIPPIDAE MacLeay, 1838

Compiler and date details

May 2012 - Peter Davie, Queensland Museum, Brisbane

Dorippina MacLeay, W.S. 1838. On the Brachyurous Decapod Crustacea brought from the Cape by Dr Smith. pp. 53–71 pl. 3 in, Illustrations of the Annulosa of South Africa; being a portion of the objects of natural history collected during an expedition into the interior of South Africa, under the direction of Dr Andrew Smith, in the years 1834, 1835, and 1836; fitted out by "The Cape of Good Hope Association for Exploring Central Africa". London. 75 pp. 4 pls [69] [name corrected to Dorippidae by White, A. 1847. List of the Specimens of Crustacea in the Collection of the British Museum. London : British Museum viii 143 pp. (53); Name No. 355 on Official List of Family-Group Names in Zoology, see International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature 1964. Opinion 688. Dromia Weber, 1795 (Crustacea, Decapoda): designation of a type species under the Plenary Powers. Bulletin of Zoological Nomenclature 21: 16–19, attributed to de Haan, 1841, in error].
Secondary source:
White, A. 1847. List of the Specimens of Crustacea in the Collection of the British Museum. London : British Museum viii 143 pp. [Date published Apr/1847]; International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature 1964. Opinion 688. Dromia Weber, 1795 (Crustacea, Decapoda): designation of a type species under the Plenary Powers. Bulletin of Zoological Nomenclature 21: 16-19.

Taxonomic Decision for Synonymy

Manning, R.B. & Holthuis, L.B. 1981. West African Brachyuran Crabs (Crustacea: Decapoda). Smithsonian Contributions to Zoology No. 306: i-xii, 1-379 figs 1-88, 2 appendices [28]

Introduction

Dorippids are known commonly as 'carrier crabs'. This is because of their unusual ability to carry a variety of objects or organisms on the back of their shell, using the specially modified, clawed, last two pairs of walking legs. There are two subfamilies, the Dorippinae MacLeay, 1838, and the Ethusinae Guinot, 1977. The Ethusinae includes mostly deep water forms in four genera. Two, Ethusa Roux, and Ethusina Smith, do occur in Australian waters, but have not yet been formally recorded. Davie & Richer de Forges (in prep.) have identified a number of new records and new species in both genera from off eastern Queensland. Castro (2005) has reviewed the subfamily for the Indo-West Pacific region.

The species of Dorippinae are more typical of shallow water coastal environments. The most significant modern revisionary treatment of this subfamily is that of Holthuis & Manning (1990), and this work includes keys to the Indo-west Pacific genera and species. A later paper by Manning (1993) recognised two new Australian species of Dorippe.

Diagnosis

Crabs with body generally longer than wide; subquadrate to rounded, typically widest posteriorly. Antennules and antennae large; antennules folded obliquely. Endostome produced forward to form gutter; covered distally with widened distal portion of endopodite of first maxilliped. Third maxillipeds not covering anterior part of buccal cavern. First two abdominal segments not folded ventrally, visible in dorsal view; uropods absent. Chelipeds with chelae robust; subequal. First and second walking legs usually remarkably long and stout; last two pairs differing from preceding legs, reduced in size, positioned dorsally, and terminally subchelate. Thoracic sternum more or less wide, with all sutures, 4/5–7/8, interrupted; sternite 8 visible dorsally, or partly under carapace. Male genital opening coxal or coxosternal; female genital opening sternal. Spermathecae absent, paired seminal receptacles being part of genital ducts. Flat thoracic sternum intercalated between pereiopods.