New ground is being broken in the field of crab research by Dr Jose Christopher Mendoza, Dr Lee Bee Yan, Dr Bertrand Richer de Forges and Prof Peter Ng! These culminated in the abundant discovery of various new species of xanthid rock crabs and epialtid spider crabs during a series of marine biodiversity expeditions in the Southwestern Indian Ocean from 2009 to 2017. Findings were published in  the reputable French marine life journal, Tropical Deep-Sea Benthos (TDSB), successor of the MUSORSTOM series published by the MNHN Paris (under the Memoires du Musèum national d’Histoire naturelle). 

New Riveting Rock Crabs

In a great feat of research, our Museum’s crustaceans curator, Dr Jose Christopher Mendoza, documented a whopping 73 species in total during these expeditions. Among them were an attractive array of five xanthid crabs previously unknown to science such as new species of Alainodaeus, Hepatoporus and Xanthias, as well as a new genus, Eurycassiope. Out of these, two new species were named in honour of the late Dr Alain Crosnier, who was instrumental in building MUSORSTOM and TDSB’s prestige and prominence today.  This latest instalment of the TDSB (Vol. 33) was also informally known among editors and contributors as the “Alain Crosnier Volume”, a salute to a great man and scientist. In fact, back in 2013, Prof Peter Ng (former Head of LKCNHM), Dr Richer de Forges, and a few others wrote about the “Alain Crosnier Effect”, which described his infectious zeal for pushing carcinological and deep-sea research to new heights.  

With their bold colours and striking patterns, the eccentric appearances of these rock crabs are not to be missed! 

Meanwhile, unprecedented epialtid crab species were also uncovered from the Western Indian Ocean by Dr Lee Bee Yan (a research fellow at the St. John’s Island National Marine Laboratory and previously a research assistant at the Museum) alongside Dr Bertrand Richer de Forges (a renowned marine biologist and friend of the Museum). They described six new species of spider crabs, including a new species of Crocydocinus and five new species of Samadinia. “The names of these crabs hold rich stories behind them,” as Dr Lee shared. For instance, C. claudiae’s name again commemorates Madame Claude, while S. sororia (in which ‘soror’is Latin for ‘sister’) pays tribute to the Beaudemoulin sisters from La Réunion Island who helped in the deep-sea expeditions for many years.

 

 

 

This publication contributes to the journal’s never-ending endeavours in their exploration of the tropical deep-sea biodiversity in the Indo-West Pacific region. As evidenced by the specimens and stories above, the recent work celebrates not only the new crab genus and species, but also the relentless passion of the researchers behind them!