Enoplometopus A. Milne-Edwards, 1862 (Crustacea: Decapoda: Nephropoidea) from the Philippines, with Description of One New Species and a Revised Key to the Genus

Abstract

Two species of reef lobsters of the genus Enoplometopus have been found in tangle net catches in Panglao, central Philippines. One, the supposedly rare species Enoplometopus crosnieri Chan and Yu, 1988, is actually rather common there. The other species is new to science and is morphologically close to the Atlantic Enoplometopus callistus Intés and Le Loeuff, 1970, but differs in the shape of the large chelipeds and body coloration. The only species previously described from the Philippines is Enoplometopus chacei Kensley and Child, 1986, and its holotype is re-examined. The intermediate characters exhibited in E. cronsieri, E. callistus, and the present new species show that the two subgenera proposed for Enoplometopus cannot be recognized. A revised key to the genus is provided.