| Paralomis okitoriensis | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Malacostraca |
| Order: | Decapoda |
| Suborder: | Pleocyemata |
| Infraorder: | Anomura |
| Family: | Lithodidae |
| Genus: | Paralomis |
| Species: | P. okitoriensis |
| Binomial name | |
| Paralomis okitoriensis Takeda, 2019 [1] | |
Paralomis okitoriensis is a species of king crab. [1] It has been identified near Japan's southernmost atoll, Okinotorishima. [1]
Paralomis okitoriensis is orange-red in colour with a pyriform carapace covered symmetrically in sharp tubercles on its dorsal surface. [1] The carapace's edges, by contrast, feature sharp spines. [1] The female holotype's carapace measures 44.2 mm (1.74 in) long and 43.5 mm (1.71 in) wide. [1] 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". [1] The palms of its chelae are armed with spine-like tubercles tipped with tufts of setae, and its fingers are untoothed and heavily bristled. [1] Its walking legs – also slender – are especially spinose. [1] On its underside, its abdominal segments are well-developed; some are armed with tubercles, while others are smooth. [1]
Paralomis okitoriensis is known from only one female holotype found in January 2006 off Japan's southernmost atoll, Okinotorishima, at a depth somewhere between 900 and 1,500 m (3,000 and 4,900 ft). [1] It was the 12th species of Paralomis described from Japanese waters. [1]
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 'of or from a place'. [1] [a] 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. [1] [2]
