AN INTEGRATIVE SYSTEMATIC REVISION OF THE CHLORODIELLINAE NG & HOLTHUIS, 2006 (CRUSTACEA: DECAPODA: BRACHYURA: XANTHIDAE)

Abstract

THE XANTHID SUBFAMILY CHLORODIELLINAE IS ONE OF THE MOST WIDESPREAD AND COMMON CORAL REEF CRAB TAXA IN THE INDO-WEST PACIFIC, WITH 5 GENERA AND 30 SPECIES. DESPITE THEIR UBIQUITY AND IMPORTANCE, THE TAXONOMY OF CHLORODIELLINAE WAS IN SERIOUS NEED OF REVISION. THE SYSTEMATICS OF THE CHLORODIELLINAE IS REVISED AT THE SUBFAMILY, GENUS, AND SPECIES LEVEL. A MOLECULAR PHYLOGENY OF XANTHIDAE, INCORPORATING PREVIOUSLY PUBLISHED SEQUENCE DATA, IS PRESENTED. BASED ON A FOUR-MARKER (COXI, 12S, 16S, H3) PHYLOGENY AND ADDITIONAL MORPHOLOGICAL EVIDENCE, FIVE GENERA ARE REMOVED FROM THE CHLORODIELLINAE. TWO NEW GENERA ARE DESCRIBED IN THE CONTEXT OF BOTH MORPHOLOGY AND MOLECULAR PHYLOGENETICS. THE RESTRICTED SUBFAMILY NOW COMPRISES CHLORODIELLA, CYCLODIUS, PILODIUS, SOLIELLA, AND LUNIELLA. A NEW GENUS, RATHA, IS DESCRIBED FOR THE SOLE WESTERN ATLANTIC SPECIES, CHLORODIELLA LONGIMANA. LAST, THE SPECIES-LEVEL CLASSIFICATION OF CHLORODIELLINAE IS REVISED USING GONOPOD MORPHOLOGY, AS WELL AS GENE TREES