Enoplometopus gracilipes (de Saint Laurent, 1988)
ILLUSTRATIONS. - • Specimen from Tuamotu, fishing vessel Marara, st. 228, trap 200 m.. Copyright J. Poupin. • Specimen from Tuamotu Islands, French Polynesia. Total length about 240 mm. Copyright J. Poupin.
REFERENCES. - Hoplometopus gracilipes de Saint Laurent, 1988: 62 (Type locality: Moruroa, Tuamotu, French Polynesia, 250–300 m; paratype from Loyalty Island, 200 m).
Hoplometopus gracilipes - Poupin et al., 1990: 16 (French Polynesia; illustration). - Poupin & Richer de Forges, 1991: 211 (French Polynesia). - Poupin, 1996a: 95 (Checklist). - Poupin, 1996b: 14 (Bora Bora, Fangataufa, Moruroa, Rimatara, Rurutu, Tubai, Tupaï; 125–280 m; illustration).
Enoplometopus gracilipes - Chan & Yu, 1998: 190 (Key).
LOCATION OF TYPES SPECIMENS. - Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle, Paris (MNHN, holotype As 544, paratype As 531).
MATERIAL EXAMINED. - French Polynesia: Tuamotu Islands, Moruroa, coll. Frv Marara, unknown station, 1987, trap 250–300m, 1 male cl 53 mm (Holotype, MNHN As 544); coll Frv Marara, st. 210, 30/11/1989, 21°46.9'S, 138°55.4'W, trap 210 m, 3 males cl 46–53 mm (MNHN As 622), st. 207, 28/11/1989, 21°46.8’S, 138°52.1' W, trap 200 m, 1 male cl 43 mm (MNHN As 623); Austral Islands, Rurutu, coll. Frv Marara, st. 147, 9/03/1989, 22°27.3'S, 151°23.1'W, trap 280 m, 5 males cl 52–60 mm, 3 females cl 50–54 mm (MNHN As 548, two vials); st. 423, 10/08/1991, 22°29.3'S, 151°21.6'W, trap 80 m, 1 male cl 40 mm, 1 female cl 42 mm (MNHN As 626). - New Caledonia: Loyalty Islands, coll. A. Intès 1987, 1 male cl 44 mm (Paratype, MNHN As 531).
CARAPACE. - Lateral edge of rostrum with four spines (varying from 3 to 5 spines). Carapace armed with five median spines; two postcervical spines; three lateral spines; one intermediate spine; one supra-ocular spine.
CHELIPEDS (P1) & AMBULATORY LEGS (P2 to P5). - Chela long and slender, 4–7 times as long as wide (usually 6–7); dactyl of cheliped without spines on outer margin; upper and lower faces of chela smooth, without tubercles. Dactyl of second pereiopod short less than 0.3 times as long as propodus; carpus with a distoventral spine.
ABDOMEN & TELSON. - Pleurae of abdominal somites II to V with a sharp, posteriorly curved median tooth. Anteroventral margins of pleurae II to V smooth. Posterior margin of sixth abdominal tergite smooth or tuberculated, but without true spines. Male first pleopod with distal or subdistal indentation. Telson with two lateral spines; and two distolateral spines.
COLORATION. - Ground color of body orange red. Lateral face of carapace with numerous non-ocellated spots or patches. Ambulatory legs orange red with narrow white bands. Abdomen with non-ocellated spots or patches.
DISTRIBUTION. - West Pacific: New Caledonia (Loyalty Islands). - South central Pacific: French Polynesia, Austral Islands (Rimatara, Rurutu, Tubai), Society Islands (Bora Bora, Tupaï); Tuamotu Islands (Fangataufa, Moruroa). Deep distribution: 125–300 meters.
REMARKS. - Species of the genus are usually considered as rare. However, ten specimens of Enoplometopus gracilipes have been trapped in a single station (Rurutu Island, 280 m) which indicates that the species can be sometimes very common (Poupin, field notes).
Cite this publication as: Joseph POUPIN (2002 onwards).Tropical reef lobsters of the genus Enoplometopus: Descriptions, Illustrations, Identification, and Information Retrieval, using the DELTA format. Version: 30 May 2002. At http://biomar.free.fr/enoplometopus/.
