The rare lobster genus Thaumastocheles (Decapoda: Thaumastochelidae) from the Indo-Pacific, with description of a new species

Abstract

Abundant material of the rare lobster genus Thaumastocheles, recently collected from Taiwan, led to an extensive survey of the Indo-Pacific specimens of this genus deposited at various institutions. Altogether 82 specimes of Thaumastocheles from the Indo-Pacific (Madagascar to Japan and New Caledonia at depths of 70-1,753 m) were examined and 2 distinct species are recognized. The 2 species, T. japonicus Calman, 1913, and T. dochmiodon, new species, differ mainly in the shape of the cutting teeth of the first chelae and the lateral carinae of the abdominal tergites. Both species are found in Japan, Taiwan, and the South China Sea.