A new species of Galathea (Decapoda, Galatheidae) from the seamounts of the Easter Island area (Southeast Pacific Ocean Ridge) associated with a sea urchin
<i>Galatheatukitukimea</i> <b>sp. nov.</b> is described from the seamounts near Rapa Nui (Easter Island) and represents the first record of the genus for this region of the Pacific Ocean and for Chilean territory. The new species belongs to the group of species having the carapace with median protogastric and cardiac spines. <i>G.tukitukimea</i> has always been observed associated with the sea urchin <i>Stereocidarisnascaensis</i>. This potential mimicry-based association is uncommon in squat lobsters, which warrants further study.
Authors
- Enrique Macpherson (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4849-4532)
- María de los Ángeles Gallardo Salamanca
- Cynthia M. Asorey (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4777-421X)
Institutions
- Universidad Católica del Norte (CL)
- Centre d'Estudis Avançats de Blanes (ES)
Publication Details
- Journal
- ZooKeys
- Published
- 2025-08-04
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.1248.159542
- Primary Topic
- Crustacean biology and ecology
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00
Funders
- University of Texas Rio Grande Valley
- Schmidt Ocean Institute
- Agencia Nacional de Investigación y Desarrollo