Corresponding author: Jose C. E. Mendoza (
Academic editor: S. De Grave
Mendoza JCE, Ng PKL (2017)
In the early 2000’s, a collection of specimens made by the late Harry Conley from the reefs and rubble beds around the island of Guam, in the western Pacific, were presented by Gustav Paulay (then of the
The present material was collected by excavating the rubble at low tide, to a depth of approximately 1–2 m. As noted in
Measurements are written as carapace maximum width × carapace median length, in millimeters. Material examined are deposited in the Zoological
Carapace subovate; anterior half of anterolateral margin arcuate, cristate, granulate, posterior half armed with two widely spaced sharp teeth. Eyes reduced, immobile; orbits with sunken exorbital angle, with strong, ridged, anteriorly projecting infraorbital tooth (inner orbital angle), the mesial surface of which receives the antennule. Antennules elongated, cannot be fully retracted into their fossae. Cheliped with large, sharp, triangular, lobiform inner carpal spine; merus with highly convex flexor margin lined with conical spines; major chela with modified opposing molariform teeth on proximal cutting margins of fingers. Ambulatory legs elongate, very slender, meri at least five times as long as wide.
Carapace transversely subovate; dorsal surface granular, regions poorly defined; front bilobed, produced beyond orbits; anterolateral margin arcuate, cristate, lined with granules, with two teeth after exorbital angle; posterolateral margins straight, converging posteriorly; endostomial ridge strongly developed. Antennules well developed; second and third articles relatively long, stout, partially retractable into antennular fossa, distal tip of second article reaching infraorbital tooth; basal article of antenna rectangular, slender (much longer than wide), subsequent two articles elongate, flagellum long. Thoracic sternum narrow, granulate; thoracic sternites 1 and 2 fused, triangular; thoracic sternite 3 demarcated from sternite 2 by distinct transverse suture; thoracic sternites 3 and 4 nearly fused except for notches restricted laterally, which continue medially as oblique grooves, forming wide V, and forming the boundary between the two sternites; sternite 4 long, tip of male telson not reaching level of
The new genus is named primarily in honor of the intrepid field collector, the late Harry T. Conley, who collected many interesting crustaceans in the rubble beds of Guam, including the species presently being described. The name is also an allusion to a famous namesake, Harry Potter, the magical hero of the popular book series by J.K. Rowling, and Mr. Conley’s uncanny ability to collect rare and interesting creatures as if by magic. The name is an arbitrary combination of “Harry” and the suffix “-plax”. Gender feminine.
There are several morphological features, however, that distinguish
The carapace has the front more distinctly projecting beyond the supraorbital margin in dorsal view (Fig.
There are no distinct notches separating the supraorbital margin from the front nor from the anterolateral margin (Fig.
The anterior portion of the anterolateral margin is more gently arcuate (less convex) but is more strongly cristate (Figs
The teeth on the carapace anterolateral margin, especially the first, are more prominent, with the tips distinctly curved (Fig.
The eyes, while immobile and reduced, are relatively better developed with longer peduncles and bigger corneas, and are visible even from dorsal view (Fig.
The basal article of the antenna is much longer and narrower (Fig.
The second and third antennular segments are stout (especially the third), and, although the joint between two articles also reaches the mesial surface of infraorbital tooth when folded, the third article can be partially folded into antennular fossa (Figs
The thoracic sternum is relatively narrower and the posterior end of sternite 3 is slightly wider than the anterior end of sternite 4 (Figs
Thoracic sternite 4 has a distinct median line in both the male and the female (Figs
The vulvae are round, and their anterior edge is in contact with thoracic suture 5/6 (Figs
The endopod of the third maxilliped is relatively narrower (esp. merus) and the lateral margin of the exopod is convex (Fig.
The ambulatory legs are relatively shorter and stouter, and the dactyli are distinctly shorter than the propodi (Figs
The
Holotype ♀ (7.9 × 5.6 mm) (
Carapace (Figs
Antennules (Figs
Eye (Figs
Third maxillipeds (Figs
Male thoracic sternum (Fig.
Chelipeds (Figs
Ambulatory legs (Figs
Male pleon (Fig.
The specific epithet,
We are grateful to the late Harry Conley for collecting this important material. A soft-spoken ex-Marine with a steely determination and a heart of gold, his endeavours have substantially advanced the cause of marine science. Thanks are also due to our old friend, “master hunter” Gustav Paulay, who passed the second author the bulk of Conley’s material and got us started on our studies of the Pacific cryptofauna. We also thank Shane Ahyong, Paul Clark, and Tohru Naruse for their helpful comments and suggestions for the improvement of this paper.