| Abstract: | The specific name for the New Zealand crab long known as Hemigrapsus edwardsii (Hilgendorf, 1882) has been uncertain because of problems with generic definitions. Resolving this question required examination of the relationships between Brachynotus de Haan, 1835, Heterograpsus Lucas 1849 and Hemigrapsus Dana, 1851. The genus Heterograpsus is an objective junior synonym of Brachynotus since they both have the same type species, Gonoplax sexdentatus Risso, 1827. Comparison of Brachynotus and Hemigrapsus shows that the New Zealand species belongs in Hemigrapsus and should be known as H. sexdentatus (H. Milne Edwards, 1837). |
