Mebeli michaelseni (Balss 1921)

Matuta michaelseni Balss, 1921

Matuta michaelseni.—Capart, 1951:45, fig. 12.—Monod, 1956: 98, figs. 108–114.—Rossignol, 1957:77, 127 [key].—Buchanan, 1958:20.—Longhurst, 1958:87.—Gauld, 1960: 68.—Guinot and Ribeiro, 1962:25.—Rossignol, 1962: 114.—Forest and Guinot, 1966:51.—Le Loeuff and Intès, 1968, table 1.

MATERIAL EXAMINED.—Pillsbury Material: None.

Other Material: Liberia: Off St. Paul River, Monrovia, trawl, 6 Jan 1953, G. C. Miller, 1 (W).

Ivory Coast: Off Sassandra, 11 m, 3 Apr 1969, Guinean Trawling Survey, Tr 22, Sta 1, 1 (L).

Ghana: Takoradi, 14 Aug 1961, Amegah, 1 (W).

Congo: Beach at Pointe-Noire, beach seine, Jul 1963, A. Crosnier, 2, 7 (W).

DESCRIPTION.—Capart, 1951:46.

Figures: Monod, 1956, figs. 108–114.

Male Pleopod: Monod, 1956, figs. 110–114 (Senegal, Togo).

Color: “Blanc-rosé uniforme” (Rossignol, 1957: 77).

MEASUREMENTS.—Our specimens have carapace lengths of 9 to 14 mm.

BIOLOGY.—This species inhabits primarily sandy bottoms in shallow water, from the shore to a depth of about 30 m. Buchanan (1958) found it in the inshore fine sand community, in 3–8 fm (5–15 m) off Accra, Ghana, and Longhurst (1958) found it on sand and muddy sand, but noted that it occurred mostly on shelly sand in 5–30 m off Sierra Leone. Guinot and Ribeiro (1962) reported material collected on a beach at low tide.

Ovigerous females have been collected in January, March, April, and September (Capart, 1951; Monod, 1956; Guinot and Ribeiro, 1962).

DISTRIBUTION.—West Africa, from Senegal to Angola, in shallow water, shore to about 30 m. Monod (1956) summarized earlier records and reported material from localities between Senegal and Togo. Since 1956 the species has been recorded from:

Sierra Leone: No specific locality, 5–30 m (Longhurst, 1958).

Ivory Coast: Off Sassandra, 15 m (Le Loeuff and Intès, 1968). 05°03′N, 05°25′W, 20–25 m (Forest and Guinot, 1966).

Ghana: No specific locality, shore to 15 m (Gauld, 1960). Accra, 3–8 fm (5–15 m) (Buchanan, 1958).

Congo: Pointe-Noire, beach (Rossignol, 1957). Baie de Pointe-Noire, beach (Rossignol, 1962).

Angola: Baía de Benguela, beach at low tide (Guinot and Ribeiro, 1962).

LEUCOSIADAE Samouelle, 1819:91 [corrected to Leucosiidae by Miers, 1879a:671; name 374 on Official List].

ILIINAE Stimpson, 1871a: 155 [name 372 on Official List].

EBALIINAE Stimpson, 1871a:159.

MYRODINAE Miers, 1886:297.

OREOPHORINAE Miers, 1886:297.

MYROIDA Alcock, 1896:167.

IPHICULOIDA Alcock, 1896:167.

NURSILIOIDA Alcock, 1896:167.

NURSIOIDA Alcock, 1896:166.

NUCIOIDA Alcock, 1896:167.

CRYPTOCNEMIDAE Stimpson, 1907:161.

PHILYRINAE Rathbun, 1937:151.

EASTERN ATLANTIC GENERA.—Nine, of which six, Atlantotlos, Ebalia, Ilia, Merocryptus, Philyra, and Pseudomyra, are represented by tropical species occurring off West Africa. Indo-West Pacific species belonging to three genera have become established in the eastern Mediterranean, having colonized that area via the Suez Canal. These genera are as follows:

Ixa Leach (1815a:334). Type-species: Cancer cylindricus Fabricius, 1777, by monotypy; gender: feminine; name 161 on Official List.

Leucosia Weber (1795:92). Type-species: Cancer craniolaris Linnaeus, 1758, by subsequent designation by Holthuis, 1959a: 106; gender: feminine; name 1631 on Official List.

Myra Leach (1817:19, 23). Type-species: Leucosia fugax Fabricius, 1798, by monotypy; gender: feminine; name 1635 on Official List.

EASTERN ATLANTIC SPECIES.—Twenty, of which 12 occur in tropical waters. The extralimital species are as follows.

Ebalia deshayesi Lucas, 1846. Canary Islands, Madeira (Türkay, 1976b), and Mediterranean; sublittoral, to 100 m (Zariquiey Alvarez, 1968).

Ebalia edwardsii Costa, 1838. Mediterranean; littoral and sublittoral, to about 200 m (Zariquiey Alvarez, 1968).

Ebalia granulosa H. Milne Edwards, 1837. Eastern Atlantic, from England to the Mediterranean; littoral and sublittoral, to 445 m (Zariquiey Alvarez, 1968).

Ebalia tumefacta (Montagu, 1808). Norway and Shetland Islands to Spanish Sahara; sublittoral, to 130 m (Zariquiey Alvarez, 1968; Christiansen, 1969).

Ixa monodi Holthuis and Gottlieb, 1956. An Indo-West Pacific immigrant into the eastern Mediterranean, Turkey; Red Sea (Holthuis and Gottlieb, 1956, 1958).

Leucosia signata Paulson, 1875. An Indo-West Pacific immigrant into the eastern Mediterranean; Israel and Egypt (Holthuis and Gottlieb, 1958; Lewinsohn and Holthuis, 1964; Ramadan and Dowidar, 1976).

Merocryptus boletifer A. Milne Edwards and Bouvier, 1894. Azores, Seine Seamount, Mediterranean; sublittoral, 100–600 m (Zariquiey Alvarez, 1968).

Myra fugax (Fabricius, 1798). An Indo-West Pacific immigrant into the eastern Mediterranean; Egypt, Israel, and possibly Turkey (Holthuis and Gottlieb, 1958; Ramadan and Dowidar, 1976).

The status of Ebalia fragifera Miers (1881a:268) from the Canary Islands, which Monod (1956:131) considered to be distinct from E. tuberculata, remains to be determined.

The names used by Monod (1956) have not been changed, so the species therein are not listed here.

DISTRIBUTION.—West Africa, where it has been recorded from a few localities between Senegal and Angola, in depths between 44 and 115 m. Monod (1956) summarized earlier records and recorded the species from Senegal. Since 1956 it has been recorded from the following localities.

Senegal: 13°01′N, 17°24′W, 51–55 m (Forest and Guinot, 1966).

Liberia: 05°21.5′N, 09°54.5′W, 73–80 m (Forest and Guinot, 1966).

Sierra Leone: No specific locality, 106 m (Longhurst, 1958).

Ghana: Off Accra, 80 m (Gauld, 1960).

Nigeria: 04°56′N, 05°00′E, to 04°54′N, 05°05′E, 73 m (Voss, 1966).

Congo: W of Pointe-Noire, 115 m (Rossignol, 1962).

Ebalia Leach, 1817, in 1815–1875, pl. 25 [type-species: Ebalia bryerii Leach, 1817, a subjective junior synonym of Cancer tumefactus Montagu, 1808, by subsequent designation by H. Milne Edwards, 1837, in 1836–1844, pl. 24: fig. 3 (as Ebalia brayerii); gender: feminine; name 145 on Official List, type-species there given as Cancer tuberosus Pennant, 1777, in error].

Phlyxia Bell, 1855:303 [type-species: Phlyxia crassipes Bell, 1855, by selection by Bell, 1855:304; gender: feminine].

Bellidilia Kinahan, 1856:115, 117, 128 [type-species: Bellidilia undecimspinosa Kinahan, 1856, by present designation; gender: feminine].

*Ebalia affinis Miers, 1881

Ebalia atlantica.—Capart, 1951:54.

Ebalia affinis.—Monod, 1956:117, figs. 134–144.—Longhurst, 1958:87.—Gauld, 1960:69.—Forest and Guinot, 1966:53.

SYNONYM.—Ebalia atlantica A. Milne Edwards and Bouvier, 1898.

MATERIAL EXAMINED.—Pillsbury Material: Liberia: Sta 68, 70 m, broken shell, 3 (W).

Ivory Coast: Sta 47, 37 m, bottom with Jullienella, 3, 1 (L).

Ghana: Sta 17, 48 m, fine sand and green mud, 1 (W). Sta 23, 42 m, foliate brown to orange bryozoans, 1, 1 (L). Sta 24, 35–37 m, dark red bryozoans, 1, 3 (W).

Nigeria: Sta 248, 33 m, 1 (W).

Other Material: Dahomey: Off Grand-Popo, 30 m, Petersen grab, 23 Feb 1964, Guinean Trawling Survey, Tr 34, Sta 2, 4, 3 (L).

DESCRIPTION.—Capart, 1951:54.

Figures: Monod, 1956, figs. 134–144.

Male Pleopod: Monod, 1956, figs. 141–144 (Guinea; Senegal).

Color: Capart (1951:54) reported that in this species the color is “orange avec quatre taches blanches en avant de l'aire cardiaque.”

MEASUREMENTS.—Our specimens have carapace lengths ranging from 4 to 9 mm.

BIOLOGY.—This species has been recorded from depths between 4 and 140 m, but more than 85% of the records are between 4 and 45 m. Capart (1951) reported it on brown muddy sand in 100 m. Longhurst (1958) found it on muddy sand, shelly sand, and shelly mud in depths between 8 and 140 m. Forest and Guinot (1966) reported it from mud or shelly mud in 18–30 m, mud, calcareous algae, and shell in 31 m, rocks and coral in 3–10 m, sand, algae, and calcareous algae in 8–30 m, and mud and calcareous algae in 4–5 m. The Pillsbury specimens were taken on fine sand and green mud in 48 m, on bottom with bryozoans in 35–37 and 42 m, on bottom with Jullienella in 37 m, and on broken shell in 70 m. Apparently the species prefers soft bottom mixed with shell or other hard substances.

Ovigerous females have been collected in January, February, March, April, May, and June (Monod, 1956; Forest and Guinot, 1966).

DISTRIBUTION.—Off West Africa, from localities between Senegal and Angola; it also has been reported from the Seine Seamount north of Madeira. Monod (1956) summarized earlier records and reported material from Senegal, Guinea, Sierra Leone, and Ghana. Since 1956 the species has been reported from the following localities.

Guinea: 09°40′N, 14°05′W, 18 m, and 09°36′N, 13°57′W, 18–30 m (Forest and Guinot, 1966).

Sierra Leone: No specific locality, 8–140 m (Longhurst, 1958).

Ghana: Accra, 32 m (Gauld, 1960).

Principe: 01°37′N, 07°22′E, 30 m, and 01°38′25″N, 07°22′05″E, 31 m (Forest and Guinot, 1966).

São Tomé: Praia de Santa Catarina, W coast, 3–10 m; 00°25′15″N, 06°43′05″E, 8–30 m; Baía de Ana de Chaves, 5 m; and in front of Ponta Diogo Nunes, 4 m (Forest and Guinot, 1966).