Deep-sea squat lobsters of the genus Paramunida Baba, 1988 (Crustacea: Decapoda: Munididae) from the Philippines Panglao 2004, Panglao 2005 and Aurora 2007 expeditions, with the description of three new species.

Abstract

The genus Paramunida belongs to the family Munididae, one of the most speciose families among anomuran decapod crustaceans. During the PANGLAO 2004, PANGLAO 2005, and AURORA 2007 expeditions in the Philippines, eight species of the genus were collected, including a new record and three new species, namely Paramunida akaina, P. aspera, and P. aurora. These new lineages are distinguished by subtle and constant morphological differences, which are in agreement with molecular evidence from the mitochondrial markers ND1 and 16S. Here, we describe these new species, provide new distribution records, and present phylogenetic relationships within the genus.