Uca perplexa

(H. Milne Edwards, 1852)

Gonopod with strong torsion, posterior flange slightly longer than anterior and clearly wider, the pore being set in a rather broad and very shallow notch; both flanges relatively short and broad compared with those of Uca annulipes; thumb not as long or thick as in Uca lactea, but similar and reaching beyond flange base. Gonopore with marginal lip only slightly tilted, scarcely projecting up into pore's cavity, much less than in U. annulipes; rim of lip corneous brown; axis of lip directed obliquely forward, not toward midline as in the other subspecies. Major cheliped: Outer pollex very rarely with an indistinct row of minute tubercles, discernible among a usually general distribution of tubercles, making the outer pollex distinctly rough in most individuals of this subspecies; supramarginal keel and groove absent; predistal tooth moderate to large except in areas of mingling with annulipes, where it is sometimes small. Dactyl arched only in about distal fifth, starting at beginning of the strong, downward curve; more proximally its upper margin is virtually straight and almost parallel to edge of gape; the dactyl's breadth beyond proximal end is therefore greater in most individuals than usual in other subspecies, and in many individuals the dactyl is widest slightly distal to the middle; gape correspondingly narrowed; accordingly, the dactyl's width is greater than that of adjacent part of gape; outer surface of dactyl always smooth and somewhat flatter than usual in other subspecies. (Crane, 1975: 300)

Type locality: Red Sea.
Range: India - Pondicherry (Crane, 1975); Sumatra - Simeuluë (Crane, 1975); Malaysia - negri Sembilan near Sungei Dua Ferry, Port Dickson, and Malacca (Crane, 1975); Singapore (Crane, 1975); Thailand - Laem Ngop, Bong Saen and Bangpoo near Bangkok (Crane, 1975); Borneo - Sarawak and Labuan (Crane, 1975); Japan - Ishigaki-jima, Kume-jima, Okinawa-jima, and Izu-Oshima (Crane, 1975), Ishigaki-jima (Miyake, 1983, Muraoka, 1998), Okukubi River, Okinawa (Shokita et al., 1998), Ginowan, Okinawa (Shokita et al., 2000); Taiwan; Philippines - Zamboanga, Davao Gulf, Cebu Channel, Negros, Panay, Guimaras, Palawan, and Luzon (Crane, 1975); Sulu Archipelago - Tawitawi, Jolo and Tapiantana Island (Crane, 1975); Indonesia - Ceram and Makassar (Rathbun, 1910b), Pontianak, Java, Makassar, Parepare, Batjan, Ceram, Ambon, Kepulauan Tanimbar, and Kepulauan Aru (Crane, 1975); New Guinea - Japen Island, Biak, near Madang, and Port Moresby (Crane, 1975); Australia - Trial Bay, N.S.W. (Crane, 1975); New Caledonia - Nouméa (Crane, 1975), Nepoui (Takeda & Nunomura, 1976); Caroline Islands - Lawi-Kondo (Crane, 1975); Solomon Islands (Crane, 1975); Vanuatu - Malle Kula (Crane, 1975); Fiji - Viti Levu (Crane, 1975); Tonga - Vavau (Crane, 1975); Samoa - Pago Pago and Apia (Crane, 1975).

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