New species and new records of lithodid crabs (Crustacea, Decapoda) from the southwestern and central Pacific Ocean

Six species of lithodid crabs from New Caledonia, Vanuatu, Fiji and French Polynesia are studied. Two new species, Paralomis arae n. sp. and P. dawsoni n. sp., are described. Four other species, Lithodes richeri, Neolithodes brodiei, N. nipponensis and Neolithodes sp., are reported for the first time from these localities. P. arae n. sp. has the carapace and the abdomen surfaces covered with small granules of various size and it is characterized by the presence of few scattered spines on the dorsal surface of the carapace and a prominent central spine on the gastric region. The walking legs are moderately long, having well-developed spines along dorsal and ventral margins of merus and propodus. The closest species is P. verrilli from the northeastern Pacific (Bering Sea to California), but they are differentiated by the shape and armature of the carapace and the length of the dactylus of the walking legs. P. dawsoni n. sp. has the carapace, abdomen and pereiopods surfaces covered with clusters of rounded granules of different sizes. This new species is closely related to P. granulosa from the southern coasts of Argentina and Chile. Both species are easily distinguished by the armature of the carapace, scaphocerite and pereiopods and the length of the walking legs.