Rathbun (1930); Barnard (1950); Garth and Stephenson (1966); Stephenson and Rees (1968).
(武田正倫)
Material examined:
FSFL EM103 (1♂-40°29′S, 61°35′W, 35 m deep; July 21, 1978). Breadth of carapace, 9.5 cm.
Desctiption:
A large species. Carapace narrowly ovate, dorsal surface being evenly convex and minutely granulated, with a faint indication of regions; a median H-shaped furrow deep and associated with a prominence at each side; cardiac region pentagonal, but posteriorly faded toward indistinct intestinal region. Frontorbital margin with 2 frontal and 2 supraorbital teeth, the latter of which are weakly curved outward. Anterolateral border of carapace with 5 teeth including one on external orbital angle, which are subequal to each other, roughly triangular and tipped each with a sharp spine; posterolateral border convex for its anterior half and concave for its posterior half. Chelipeds heavy and only covered with minute granules; palm with a strong ridge on upper border, with 3 longitudinal ridges on outer surface, and with a stridulating organ of 26 or more, rather indistinct striae on its lower border. Ambulatory legs long and stout; a horny stridulating ridge present on distal margin of merus of first pair; in first 3 pairs anterior margins of propodi and both margins of dactyli sharply crested; dactylus of first pair with a strong longitudinal crest on upper surface; ambulatory dactyli of all the pairs different in shape, while the natatory dactylus is large and elliptical with a rounded tip.
Distribution:
South Africa, the East Pacific from southern Peru to about 50°S, and the West Atlantic from Uruguay to about 43°S; a shallow-water inhabitant.
Remarks:
The genus Ovalipes was revised by Stephenson & Rees (1968), and the punctatus group having the stridulating striae on the lower border of palm is represented by the following five species; O. punctatus (de Haan) from Japan and China, O. trimaculatus (de Haan) dealt herewith, O. catharus (White) from New Zealand and southeastern Australia, O. australiensis Stephenson et Rees from southern half of Australia, and O. elongatus Stephenson et Rees from Lord Howe Island and the Kermadec Islands.
(Masatsune TAKEDA)
Distribution of Ovalipes trimaculatus in Patagonia.