Family PINNOTHERIDAE De Haan, 1833

Pinnotheres spinidactylus, female (carapace breadth about 7 mm) [from P. Davie 2002: 428 (ex Gordon 1936)]

Xanthasia murigera [P. Davie 2002: 428]

Pinnotheres spinidactylus, male (noticeably smaller than female) [from P. Davie 2002: 428 (ex Griffin & Campbell 1969)]

Museums

Regional Maps

• Pinnotheridea De Haan, W. 1833. Crustacea. i-xvii, i-xxxi, ix-xvi, 1-243 pls A-J, in Von Siebold, P.F. (ed.). Fauna Japonica sive Descriptio Animalium, quae in Itinere per Japoniam, Jussu et Auspiciis Superiorum, qui Summum in India Batava Imperium Tenent, Suscepto, Annis 1823–1830 Collegit, Notis, Observationibus et Adumbrationibus Illustravit. Leiden : Lugduni-Batavorum. [published from 1833–1850] [2, 5] [corrected to Pinnotheridae by Bell, T. 1845. A History of the British Stalk-Eyed Crustacea. London : [s.n.] lxv 386 pp. [Published in parts from 1844–1852, Part 3: pp. 97–144, published 1 May 1845] (119)].

  Secondary source:

   Bell, T. 1845. A History of the British Stalk-Eyed Crustacea. London : [s.n.] lxv 386 pp. [Published in parts from 1844–1852, Part 3: pp. 97–144, published 1 May 1845].
• Dissodactylidae Smith, S.I. 1870. Ocypodoidea: notes on American Crustacea, No. 1. Transactions of the Connecticut Academy of Arts and Sciences 2: 113-176 pls 2-5 [172].

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 [181]
• Palacios Theil, E. & Felder, D.L. 2016. Molecular evidence for non-monophyly of the pinnotheroid crabs (Crustacea : Brachyura : Pinnotheroidea), warranting taxonomic reappraisal. Invertebrate Systematics 30: 1–27 [16–24]

Introduction

The Pinnotheridae is a highly diverse group of small crabs that mainly live commensally with other invertebrates. They are found associated with a variety of hosts, but particulary inside the shells, tests, or tubes of bivalve molluscs, ascidians, holothurians, and polychaete worms; and on the outer surface of echinoids. Generally males are free-living, significantly smaller than the females, and highly sexually dimorphic in form. Pinnotherids are found worldwide except for extremely high latitudes, but those of Australian waters are relatively poorly known and are in need of taxonomic revision. The work of Tesch (1918) is still a useful general reference for identification. Schmitt et al. (1973) provided an invaluable summary of taxonomic, biogeographic and ecological information. Other recent papers that deal, at least in part, with Australian pinnotherids include those of Griffin & Campbell (1969), Griffin & Yaldwyn (1971), Pregenzer (1979), Ahyong & Brown (2003), Ahyong & Ng (2007) and Ahyong (2010).

Diagnosis

Carapace typically more or less round or transversely oval, often poorly calcified especially in commensal females; anterolateral margins smooth or minutely toothed; front narrow; orbits and eyes very small; cornea sometimes obsolescent. Antennules and antennae usually very small. Interantennular septum reduced to a thin plate, or absent. Buccal cavern broad, short, usually semicircular. Third maxilliped with merus often very large; ischium usually small, sometimes completely lost or fused with merus; exopod small, more or less concealed. Male genital openings sternal, but originally coxal; female openings sternal. Male abdomen narrow. (Modified after Barnard 1950).

General References

Ahyong, S.T. 2010. Holotheres danielae, a new species of pinnotherid crab from the Indo-West Pacific (Decapoda, Brachura), with a key to the genus. In: Studies on Brachyura: A Homage to Danièle Guinot. Crustaceana Monographs, 11: 1-353. Editors, Castro, P., Davie, P.J.F, Ng, P.K.L., & Richer de Forges, B. pp. 1-35

Ahyong, S.T. & Brown, D.E. 2003. Description of Durckheimia lochi n. sp., with an annotated checklist of Australian Pinnotheridae (Crustacea: Decapoda: Brachyura). Zootaxa 254: 1–20 [Date published 1 August 2003]

Ahyong, S.T. & Ng, P.K.L. 2007. The Pinnotherid type of material of Semper (1880), Nauck (1880) and Bürger (1895) (Crustacea: Decapoda: Brachyura). Raffles Bulletin of Zoology Supplement 16: 191-226

Barnard, K.H. 1950. Descriptive Catalogue of South African Decapod Crustacea (Crabs and Shrimps). Annals of the South African Museum 38: 1-837 figs 1-154

Griffin, D.J.G. & Campbell, B.M. 1969. The sub-littoral Goneplacidae and Pinnotheridae (Crustacea, Brachyura) of Moreton Bay. Memoirs of the Queensland Museum 15(3): 141-164, text-figs 1-8

Griffin, D.J.G. & Yaldwyn, J.C. 1971. Port Phillip Survey 1957–1963. Brachyura (Crustacea, Decapoda). Memoirs of the National Museum of Victoria, Melbourne 32: 43-64 figs 1-4, 1 table, 1 map

Pregenzer, C. 1979. A redescription of Pinnotheres hickmani (Guiler) and comparison with P. novaezelandiae Filhol and P. pisum (L.) (Decapoda: Brachyura). Crustaceana Suppl. 5: 22-30

Schmitt, W.L., McCain, J.C. & Davidson, E.S. 1973. Decapoda I: Brachyura I: Fam. Pinnotheridae. Crustaceorum Catalogus 3: 1-160

Tesch, J.J. 1918. The Decapoda Brachyura of the Siboga-Expedition. II, Goneplacidae and Pinnotheridae. Siboga Expéditie Monographie 39(c1): 149-295 pls 7-18

History of changes