Rhinolambrus spinifer

Only known from waters around Australia. Rhinolambrus spinifer is superficially very similar to R. longispinus and it is difficult to differentiate both species. Miers (1884) placed R. spinifer under the synonymy of R. longispinus and this was followed by subsequent authors (Flipse 1930; McNeill 1968; Campbell & Stephenson 1970).

After comparing specimens of both species, the most reliable and consistent character to differentiate both species apart is in the structure of the teeth of the upper margin of the last ambulatory leg. In R. longispinus, the P5 merus upper margin is not cristate, but is cristate in R. spinifer.

Rhinolambrus spinifer appears to be relatively small sized species. A female specimen of R. spinifer (10.9 x 11.4 mm) from the northwest shelf of Western Australia is already mature, whereas a slightly larger female R. longispinus from Singapore (12.4 x 12.8 mm; ZRC 1984.6056) is still immature.