The first deep-sea hydrothermal animal reported from Taiwan: Shinkaia crosnieri Baba and Williams, 1998 (Crustacea: Decapoda: Galatheidae)

Abstract

A deep-sea hydrothermal organism is reported for the first time from the coast of Taiwan. The species, Shinkaia crosnieri Baba and Williams, 1998, is a galatheid crab of the recently described subfamily Shinkaiinae Baba and Williams, 1998, previously known only from the Bismarck Archipelago and Mid-Okinawa Trough in Japan. Two specimens of this species were collected off northeastern Taiwan at a depth of about 1200 m from the southern end of the Okinawa Trough. S. crosnieri has been reported to form dense aggregations in hydrothermally active areas and one of the Taiwanese specimens has the largest size known for this species.