Paralomis okitoriensis
Paralomis okitoriensis is a species of king crab. It has been identified near Japan's southernmost atoll, Okinotorishima.
Description
Paralomis okitoriensis is orange-red in colour with a pyriform carapace covered symmetrically in sharp tubercles on its dorsal surface. The carapace's edges, by contrast, feature sharp spines. The female holotype's carapace measures long and wide. Its chelipeds bear a mix of longer spines on the inner side and smaller ones on the outer side; the chelipeds, including the chelae, are "remarkably slender". The palms of its chelae are armed with spine-like tubercles tipped with tufts of setae, and its fingers are untoothed and heavily bristled. Its walking legs – also slender – are especially spinose. On its underside, its abdominal segments are well-developed; some are armed with tubercles, while others are smooth.
Distribution
Paralomis okitoriensis is known from only one female holotype found in January 2006 off Japan's southernmost atoll, Okinotorishima, at a depth somewhere between. It was the 12th species of Paralomis described from Japanese waters.
Taxonomy
Paralomis okitoriensis was described in 2019 by carcinologist Masatsune Takeda. Its name is a combination of the Japanese shorthand Oki-Tori for the Okinotorishima atoll where the holotype was found and the Latin suffix -ēnsis indicating. It falls into an informal subgroup of Paralomis described by carcinologist Shane T. Ahyong which includes P. aculeata and P. spinosissima; this subgroup is characterized by its long chelipeds and walking legs as well as short, well-spaced tubercles on its carapace.