Paralomis okitoriensis

Paralomis okitoriensis is a species of king crab.^[1] It has been identified near Japan's southernmost atoll, Okinotorishima.^[1]

Paralomis okitoriensis is orange-red in colour with a pyriform carapace covered symmetrically in sharp tubercles on its dorsal surface.^[1] The carapace's edges, by contrast, feature sharp spines.^[1] The female holotype's carapace measures 44.2 mm (1.74 in) long and 43.5 mm (1.71 in) wide.^[1] Its chelipeds bear a mix of longer spines on the inner side and smaller ones on the outer side; the chelipeds, including the chelae, are "remarkably slender".^[1] The palms of its chelae are armed with spine-like tubercles tipped with tufts of setae, and its fingers are untoothed and heavily bristled.^[1] Its walking legs – also slender – are especially spinose.^[1] On its underside, its abdominal segments are well-developed; some are armed with tubercles, while others are smooth.^[1]

Paralomis okitoriensis is known from only one female holotype found in January 2006 off Japan's southernmost atoll, Okinotorishima, at a depth somewhere between 900 and 1,500 m (3,000 and 4,900 ft).^[1] It was the 12th species of Paralomis described from Japanese waters.^[1]

Paralomis okitoriensis was described in 2019 by carcinologist Masatsune Takeda. Its name is a combination of the Japanese shorthand Oki-Tori for the Okinotorishima atoll where the holotype was found and the Latin suffix -ēnsis indicating 'of or from a place'.^[1][a] It falls into an informal subgroup of Paralomis described by carcinologist Shane T. Ahyong which includes P. aculeata and P. spinosissima; this subgroup is characterized by its long chelipeds and walking legs as well as short, well-spaced tubercles on its carapace.^[1][2]