Harpiosquilla harpax

Harpiosquilla harpax (de Haan, 1844) (Fig. 2E) Squilla harpax de Haan, 1844: 222, pl. 51 fig. 1. Harpiosquilla harpax.— Holthuis 1964: 140. Holthuis 1967: 15.— Ahyong 2001: 257–261, fig. 126.— Ahyong & Naiyanetr 2002: 297.—Ahyong et al. 2008: 108–110, fig. 82–83.— Ahyong 2016: 464.— Trivedi et al. 2020: 228. Harpiosquilla paradipa Ghosh, 1987: 306 fig. 1–5. Material examined. FSI/ VIZAG / CRUST. 223, 1 male (TL 120 mm), 4 females (TL 90–143 mm), 20°00.4’N, 86°39.8’E, 34–38 m, coll. K. Silambarasan, 16 October 2019. Remarks. Harpiosquilla harpax is the most widely distributed species of the genus and is abundantly caught in trawl catches along the northeastern coast of India. The morphological variations observed in the present series of H. harpax fall within the reported range (Ahyong et al. 2008). The abdominal carinae are spined as follows: submedian 6, intermediate 2–6, lateral, 1–6, marginal 1–5. Ahyong (2001) revised the species, and the present specimens align well with the diagnostic features described in that study. According to their report, the rostral plate margins are usually sinuous, with a slender apical projection, and the lateral carina is typically less than half the length of marginal carina. However, in the present material, some variations are evident. The outer margin of the dactylus of the raptorial claw exhibits a distinct angular projection, a feature of males. Distribution. Red Sea, Western Indian Ocean, Pakistan, India, Andaman Sea, Phuket, Hong Kong, Taiwan, the Philippines, Vietnam, Japan, New Caledonia, and Australia (Ahyong 2012; Trivedi et al. 2020).