Family PARAPAGURIDAE Smith, 1882

Oncopagurus minutus [from Alcock 1905: pl. 10 fig. 3]

Museums

Regional Maps

• Parapaguridae Smith, S.I. 1882. Report on the Crustacea. Part 1. Decapoda. Reports on the results of dredging, under the supervision of Alexander Agassiz, on the east coast of the United States, during the summer of 1880, by the U.S. Coast Survey Steamer "Blake", Commander J.R. Bartlett, U.S.N., commanding. Bulletin of the Museum of Comparative Zoology, Harvard 10(1): 1-108 [20].

  Type genus:

   Parapagurus Smith, 1879.

Introduction

This family of deep water hermit crabs was resurrected from synonymy with the Paguridae by de Saint Laurent (1972). Since then the Australian fauna has been well studied by Lemaitre (1996, 1999). Parapagurids are found in all oceans, and typically live in continental shelf and slope depths ranging from about 200 to 5000 metres, although there are some records from as shallow as 50 metres.

Diagnosis

Carapace and body paguroid in form ('hermit crabs'). Cephalothoracic shield not narrowing posteriorly. Epistome usually with two median spines: labral spine always present and placed immediately in front of labrum; interantennular spine (sometimes lacking) before insertion of antennal peduncle. First maxilliped with basipodite enlarged and fringed with setae on outer margin; exopod without flagellum. Coxae of third maxillipeds widely separated, sternite armed with pair of spinous tubercles; distal region of ischium clearly wider than base of merus; ischium with well-developed, regular crista dentata; without accessory tooth. Chelipeds very unequal (except in Probeebei), right much longer and stronger. Pereiopods 2 and 3 typically long and slender, unarmed; P4 subchelate, P5 chelate. Abdomen asymmetrical, membranous or partly calcified; abdominal tergites entire, not arranged in paired plates on each segment. Telson entire, sometimes with weak lateral indentations. Males with genital organs paired, genital pores opening on coxae of P5; pleopods paired, present on first two abdominal segments (most Parapagurus and Tylaspis species), on first (Probeebei) or second segment (Typhlopagurus), sometimes totally absent; pleopods 3–5 unpaired, left, biramous, with short exopod. Female with genital organs unpaired, right ovary atrophied such that only single genital pore on coxa of left P3; all pleopods left, unpaired, or second pleopods asymmetrically paired, and 3–5 unpaired. Eleven pairs of branchiae, 10 arthrobranchs from maxilliped 3 to pereiopod 4, and pleurobranch on P4; sometimes a pleurobranch on P5; branchial lamellae bilobed, or entire, or variously intermediate. (After de Saint Laurent, 1972).

General References

de Saint Laurent, M. 1972. Sur la famille des Parapaguridae Smith, 1892. Description de Typhlopagurus foresti gen. nov., et de quinze espèces ou sous-espèces nouvelles de Parapagurus Smith (Crustacea, Decapoda). Bijdragen tot de Dierkunde 42(2): 97-123

Lemaitre, R. 1996. Hermit crabs of the family Parapaguridae (Crustacea: Decapoda: Anomura) from Australia: species of Strobopagurus Lemaitre, 1989, Sympagurus Smith, 1883 and two new genera. Records of the Australian Museum 48: 163-221

Lemaitre, R. 1999. Crustacea Decapoda: A review of the species of the genus Parapagurus Smith, 1879 (Parapaguridae) from the Pacific and Indian Oceans. Mémoires du Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle, Paris [1936-1950] 180: 303-378

History of changes