Gordonopsis
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| Gordonopsis | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Gordonopsis velutina | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Malacostraca |
| Order: | Decapoda |
| Suborder: | Pleocyemata |
| Infraorder: | Brachyura |
| Family: | Homolidae |
| Genus: | Gordonopsis Guinot & Richer de Forges, 1995[1] |
Gordonopsis is a genus of deep sea crabs in the family Homolidae.[2] The Homolidae are also known as carrier crabs[3] or porter crabs[4] for their fifth pereiopods (last pair of walking legs), which they use to hold objects in place over the rear half of the carapace in a possible defence mechanism against predators.[5] Species of Gordonopsis are found in deep waters of the Indo-West Pacific region.[6] The genus was erected in 1995 by Danièle Guinot and Bertrand Richer de Forges.[1]
The genus Gordonopsis was established in 1995 by French carcinologists Danièle Guinot and Bertrand Richer de Forges to accommodate the species Homola profundorum, which had previously been classified in the genus Homola.[1] The genus name honors Isabelle Gordon of the British Museum (Natural History) for her contributions to crustacean taxonomy.[1]
Since its initial description, several new species have been added to the genus.[2] A major revision of Gordonopsis was published in 2020 by Peter K. L. Ng and Bertrand Richer de Forges, recognizing 8 valid species:[2]
- Gordonopsis alaini Ng & Richer de Forges, 2020
- Gordonopsis ceto Ng & Richer de Forges, 2020
- Gordonopsis hera Ng & Richer de Forges, 2020
- Gordonopsis mazupo Ng & Liu, 2024
- Gordonopsis pacifica Takeda & Suyama, 2019
- Gordonopsis phorcys Ng & Richer de Forges, 2020
- Gordonopsis profundarum (Alcock & Anderson, 1899) (type species)
- Gordonopsis robusta Ng, Padate & Saravanane, 2019
- Gordonopsis velutina Ng & Richer de Forges, 2020