Contributions to the knowledge of the Leucosiidae (Crustacea: Brachyura) of the Dampier Archipelago, Western Australia

WA Museum Records and Supplements | Updated 7 years ago

ABSTRACT – Leucosiids were collected from diving and dredging stations sampled during the biodiversity survey conducted between 1998 and 2002 in the Dampier Archipelago, Western Australia. The archipelago provides a complex range of habitats in its intertidal and subtidal environments, including a range of soft substrata habitats suitable to the burrowing behaviour of the Leucosiidae. The species reported herein were collected from 23 of these stations; five intertidal and 18 dredged subtidal sites. Ten leucosiid species belonging to five genera were represented in the collections; Leucosia moresbiensis Haswell, 1880; L. punctata Bell, 1855; Myra australis Haswell, 1880; Myrine kesslerii (Paulson, 1875); Seulocia laevimana (Miers, 1884); Urnalana elata (A. Milne Edwards, 1874); U. haematosticta (Adams and White, 1849); U. margaritata (A. Milne Edwards, 1874); U. thysanotus (George and Clark, 1976); U. whitei (Bell, 1855). The species are briefly described and notes on their color patterns and distributions are also provided.