Abstract
A new genus and new species of anchialine portunid crab is described from lava pools in Maui, Hawaiian Islands. Pele ramseyi new genus, new species, resembles species of Libystes A. Milne-Edwards, 1867, but differs markedly in its reduced and almost immovable eyes, as well as the distinctive structures of the mouthparts, chelipeds, male abdomen and gonopods. Several taxa of rubble-dwelling and cavemicolous portunid crabs (Carupa Dana, 1851, and Atoportunus Ng & Takeda, 2003) have been discovered in recent years and all have been collected from open waters in the Indo-West Pacific region (Ng & Takeda 2003; Takeda 1993, 2003). No anchialine species {sensu Holthuis 1973) has been reported thus far. A new genus and new species is described here from anchialine lava beds in Hawaii (Fig. 1). While the new genus is superficially similar to Libystes A. Milne-Edwards, 1867, it differs in a number of important carapacial, cheliped, ambulatory leg, male abdominal and gonopodal characters. It is here describedas a new genus and new species of carupine portunid.
NSTL