Laleonectes vocans

Laleonectes vocans (A. Milne Edwards, 1878)

Neptunus vocans A. Milne Edwards, 1878:225.—Monod, 1956:194, figs. 222, 223.

Portunus vocans.—Rathbun, 1930:60, figs. 8, 9, pl. 25.—Manning and Holthuis,1981:107.

MATERIAL.—Other Collections: U.S. Eclipse Expedition to West Africa, 1889–1890, Wm. Harvey Brown, Ascension, 20–30 fm (37–58 m), 25 Mar 1890: 2 juveniles [5.9–6.2].— Jourdan (1976), off Collyer Point,20 ft (6 m), diving: 1 female [17.0].—Long Beach,23 Jan 1977: 1 female [16.6].

SIZE.—Carapace lengths of females, 16.6–17.0 mm; of juveniles, 5.9–6.2 mm. The largest Atlantic specimen is the holotype of Neptunus vocans, with a carapace length of 22 mm.

COLOR.—The following notes were made from a live specimen: Background color of carapace light, tan or orange, smaller surface tubercles and granules red, larger tubercles white. Gastric region with pair of submedian red spots. Intestinal region with rectangular red patch extending anteriorly onto cardiac region. Remainder of surface mottled with red, lateral spine with red band. Chelipeds orange, with red and white granules, banded with red on carpus, propodus, and fingers, latter with 2 bands. Walking legs prominently banded with red: second and third legs with 2 bands on merus, propodus, and dactylus, 1 on carpus; fourth leg with 3 bands on merus, 1 each on carpus and propodus, and 2 on dactylus; fifth leg with 1 band each on merus, carpus, and propodus.

HABITAT.—Sublittoral.between 6 and 58 meters.

DISTRIBUTION.—Amphi-Atlantic; western Atlantic from localities between Cuba, Mexico, and the Caribbean; eastern Adantic from Madeira, the Cape Verde Islands, São Tomé.and Annobon; and central Atlantic from Ascension; in depths to 309 meters.

In the Indo-Pacific Laleonectes nipponensis is known from Japan (Sakai, 1938, 1939, 1976), Hawaii (Edmondson, 1935, 1954), Borneo (Serène, 1971), Indonesia (Stephenson, 1972b), Reunion Island (Crosnier and Thomassin, 1975); in depths to 250 meters.