A revision of the species of the genus Munida (Crustacea, Anomura, Munididae) from Mediterranean and north-eastern Atlantic waters using morphological and molecular characters

Abstract

The genus Munida is the unique genera of the family Munididae in the Mediterranean Sea and in the European Atlantic coast. The genus is represented in the area by eight species: M. curvimana, M. intermedia, M. rugosa, M. rutllanti and M. tenuimana are found in the continental shelf and slope of both areas, whereas M. microphthalma, M. sanctipauli and M. sarsi are only found in the Atlantic waters. We compared specimens from numerous localities of the different species from the Mediterranean Sea and Atlantic waters, using molecular and morphological characters to elucidate their taxonomy status and their phylogenetic relationships. The taxonomic status of some of these species has been discussed by numerous authors due to their nomenclatural confusion and the validity of morphological characters used for differentiate the species. Our study demonstrates that Munida tenuimana is restricted to Atlantic waters, whereas the Mediterranean specimens belong to a different species, recommending that the name Munida perarmata should be resurrected. Furthermore, Munida rutllanti is a junior synonymy of M. speciosa, usually collected along the western Africa. The validity of the morphological characters used to distinguish the different species is discussed. Furthermore, we establish the phylogenetic relationships among these species