The foregut-ossicle system of Dromia wilsoni, Dromia personata and Lauridromia intermedia (Decapoda, Brachyura, Dromiidae), studied with a new staining method

The ossicles of the cardiac and pyloric foregut of three species of decapods: Dromia wilsoni [Fulton and Grant, 1902], Dromia personata [Linne, 1758] and Lauridromia intermedia [Lauri, 1906] are decribed and illustrated in detail. Five new ossicles are recognized based on a specific staining-method with Alizarin-Red. The ossicle terminology of the brachyuran foregut is revised now to include 37 ossicles. All described ossicles are documented by drawings and photographs. The two new cardiac ossicles, the prepterocardiac and the postpterocardiac ossicles are narrow ossicles associated with the pterocardiac ossicles at the antero-dorsal margin of the cardiac foregut. The pyloric foregut includes the newly described lateral mesopyloric- and the posterior uropyloric ossicles. These pyloric ossicles are clearly recognizable only in the stained condition. Based on our data we provide new additional evidence for brachyuran monophyly and the paraphyletic status of the podotrematan crabs. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.