Panopeidae

Abstract: The known xanthid crab zoeas can be assigned to six groups, based primarily upon morphology of the antennal exopod. A brief description of each group is given, and a table listing all known zoeas in each group is presented. The abbreviated number of zoeal stages in some xanthid species seems not attributable solely to restricted environments; however, no alternative reason for abbreviated development in xanthids is known. A key is given for identification of 22 xanthid zoeas in the western Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico for which descriptions are available, and a bibliography of all known descriptions of xanthid larvae is included. The first published mention of a larval stage belonging to the brachyuran family Xanthidae MacLeay, 1838, is a short communication by J. Vaughn Thompson (1836). In this paper, Thompson noted that the larval stages of the genus Eriphia Latreille, 1817 and other brachyuran genera corresponded to the genus Zoea of earlier workers. Since that time, the larvae of crabs of the family Xanthidae {sensu lato, not sensu Guinot, 1978) have received a considerable amount of attention. Gumey (1939) listed 25 publications in the succeeding 103 years which mentioned a total of 20 genera of xanthids for which at least one larval stage was known. Many of the early workers cited by Gumey (1939, 1942) gave only brief descriptions of the larvae, often without illustrations, and few identified the parental crabs to species level. Wear (1970) listed an additional 23 references containing descriptions of the larvae of 31 xanthid species. In a recent review of brachyuran zoeal morphology, Rice (1980) listed another 18 species (one of which was assigned to genus only, Tetralia sp.) in which the larvae are now known. Not mentioned by Rice are the accounts of larvae of Platyxanthus crenulatus (A. Milne Edwards, 1879) by Menu-Marque (1970), Leptodius exeratus [sic] (H. Milne Edwards, 1864) by Tufail and Hashmi (1964), and the descriptions of larvae belonging to 12 xanthid species from the Indian Ocean by Hashmi (1970a; b; c). In addition, several accounts of xanthid larvae have been published since Rice's (1980) review. Terada (1980, 1982) described zoeas of Atergatis reticulatus de Haan, 1835, Cycloxanthops truncatus (de Haan, 1837), Leptodius distinguendus (de Haan, 1835), Leptodius exaratus (H. Milne Edwards, 1864), and Pilodius nigrocrinitus Stimpson, 1858. Lim and Tan (1981) described larval development in Pilumnus vespertilio (Fabricius, 1798), Williamson (1982) illustrated the telson of the first zoea of Monodaeus couchi (Bell, 1851), and Salman (1982) redescribed the larvae of Pilumnus hirtellus (Linnaeus, 1761); all larvae of that species had already been described by Lebour (1928). The description of larvae belonging to Eurytium limosum (Say, 1818) by Kurata et al. (1981) included references for another three ' "Mcgalopa" is a Greek Icrm. and therefore may be eonsidered singular or plural wilhoul furlher modifieation. "Zoea" is a Latin term, the elassieal plural of whieh should be "zoeae." However, as noted by Rice (1981b). Leach originally coined the generic name Mei>alopa to mean "big eyes," thus he considered "opa" the plural form of "ops." Both Rice (1981b) and Williamson (1982) have adopted the English forms /oea (plural zoeas) and mcgalopa (plural megalopas) to avoid classical confusion; I have followed their

Abstract: Mud crabs of the family Panopeidae are common organisms in coastal soft-bottom, vegetated, rubble, and oyster-bed communities along the temperate and tropical coastlines of the American continent. Similar morphology among many species renders their distinction and classification difficult. Here, we present phylogenies of western Atlantic Panopeidae based on DNA sequences of the mitochondrial large subunit rRNA (16S; 529 basepairs) and cytochrome oxidase I (COI; 640 basepairs) genes. Results suggest that the speciose genera Panopeus and Eurypanopeus are not monophyletic and that their taxonomy does not accurately reflect evolutionary partitions. In two cases (P. herbstii complex and E. depressus and allies), the molecular findings strongly support sister-species relationships that differ from previous morphology-based assumptions. We suggest that convergence or morphological stasis are responsible for the phenotypic similarities between divergent evolutionary lineages.

Abstract: A total of 272 species of brachyuran crabs are reported from marine and estuarine environments in northern and northeast Brazil. The checklist is derived from the literature published from 1847 to 2008, and includes all species that have been reported at least once from the study area. It is also partially supported by material deposited in the crustacean collection of the Departamento de Oceanografia, Universidade Federal de Pernambuco, city of Recife, Brazil (DOUFPE). The families containing the highest number of species in northern and northeastern Brazil are Majidae (31), Portunidae (22), Epialtidae (20), Panopeidae (20), and Xanthidae (18). The remaining species are distributed in 39 families. The analysis of the distribution of the species in the region, allows for identification of four patterns of longitudinal distribution (western Atlantic, Amphi-Atlantic, Amphi-American, and circumtropical species) and, in the western Atlantic, six patterns of latitudinal distribution (Virginian, Carolinian, Antillean, Central-South American, Boreal, and Endemic). Two non-indigenous species have also been reported. Most of the species represented in northern and northeastern Brazil have Antillean (94 species; 34.5%) and Carolinian (75 species; 27.6%) pattern of distribution.