New crab species in the waters of Namibia A team of scientists from the Oceanographic Centre of Cadiz of the Spanish Institute of Oceanography (IEO) discovered a new species of the lithodid crab, captured at 1,400 metres deep in Namibian waters. This finding took place during an oceanographic survey aboard the vessel Vizconde de Eza, belonging to the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Environment (Magrama). The IEO scientific staff continues conducting studies in African waters after the surveys developed between 2005 and 2011, which provide valuable information on different aspects of the abundance and distribution of resources, biodiversity and other ecological aspects that have been rarely studied in this zone so far. This time, the researchers captured the lithodid crab as part of the Namibian 0502 survey thanks to the work on taxonomic review, cataloging and conservation that are developed in the Collection of Decapod and Stomatopod Crustaceans of the Oceanography Centre in Cadiz (CCDE-Ieocd). This crab has a great deal of similarities with its congener Paralomis pectinata, inhabiting the waters in Venezuela. IEO experts named this new crab Paralomis macphersoni after Enrique Macpherson, a taxonomist that is expert in this and in many other decapod crustacean groups. The description of the species can be found in an article published recently in the journal Zootaxa, entitled New occurrences of lithodid crabs (Crustacea: Decapoda: Lithodidae) from the coasts of Africa, with the description of a new species of Paralomis white. All the species found during research surveys are part of the Collection of Decapod and Stomatopod Crustaceans of the Oceanography Centre in Cadiz, which brings together more than 2,000 specimens of about 400 species caught mostly in African waters in Morocco, Mauritania, Senegal, Guinea-Bissau, Guinea, Namibia and Mozambique, the IEO reported. The Institute is a public research organization under the Ministry of State for Research, Development and Innovation of the Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness. It is dedicated to research in marine science, especially in relation to scientific knowledge of the oceans, the sustainability of fishery resources and the marine environment. (fis)
Posted on: Sat, 22 Jun 2013 08:13:34 +0000
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