Brachyuran crabs of the family Macrophthalmidae Dana, 1851 (Decapoda: Brachyura: Macrophthalmidae) of the Persian Gulf

Abstract

The family Macrophthalmidae Dana, 1851, is one of the best represented brachyuran groups in intertidal habitats in the Persian Gulf. Nine species from two subfamilies are reported from the gulf and the adjacent Gulf of Oman, mainly inhabiting intertidal soft substrates. The subfamily Ilyograpsinae Števcic, 2005, is represented by Ilyograpsus rhizophorae Barnard, 1950, erroneously recorded as I. paludicola (Rathbun, 1909). Eight species of the subfamily Macrophthalminae Dana, 1851, have been recorded from the area, all belonging to Macrophthalmus Desmarest, 1823. Of these, M. sinuspersici Naderloo & Türkay, 2010, has recently been described and is the only species of the genus occurring on rocky shores. Macrophthalmus graeffei A. Milne-Edwards, 1873, occurs in subtidal water and is hereby recorded for the first time from the northern Indian Ocean. The remaining six species, M. dentipes Lucas, 1836, M. depressus Rüppell, 1830, M. grandidieri A. Milne-Edwards, 1867, M. laevis A. Milne-Edwards, 1867, M. serenei Takeda & Komai, 1991, and M. sulcatus H. Milne-Edwards, 1852, are important elements of the intertidal soft bottom communities. An identification key for the genus Macrophthalmus in the area is provided, and the geographical distribution of the family is briefly discussed.

Diversity and distribution of the Isopoda (Crustacea, Peracarida) of Kuwait, with an updated checklist

“…Other species, such as Dynamenella granulata, and Atarbolana exoconta, are widely distributed along the northeastern coast of the Gulf and along the Pakistani coast. Their distribution pattern is similar to some brachyuran decapods as suggested by Apel and Türkay (1999) and Naderloo et al (2011). According to this distribution pattern, the fiddler crab fauna of the southern and western Gulf is similar in East Africa, the Gulf of Aden, and the Red Sea.…”

Insights toward the future potential distribution of mangrove crabs in the Persian Gulf and the Sea of Oman

“…Specimens were collected by hand, fixed in 98% ethanol, and then were transferred to Senckenberg Research Institute and Natural History Museum for species identification and taxonomic classification. The species were identified using following identification keys(Naderloo, 2017;Naderloo et al, 2011;Ng et al, 2008) and were confirmed by Dr. Mendoza from National University of Singapore (FigureS2-S7), which belonged to 10 species and two genera (Figure1; FigureS2-S7). Some key features for studied taxa of mangrove crabs here are included in FigureS2-S7.…”

“…The environmental conditions including extreme salinity and temperature fluctuations of the Persian Gulf have created diverse marine habitats with remarkably high biodiversity of particular taxa, such as brachyuran crabs (Apel & Türkay, 1999;Naderloo & Schubart, 2009). Among intertidal brachyuran fauna of the Persian Gulf, ocypodid crabs are considered as its major element (Apel & Türkay, 1999;Naderloo et al, 2011;Sharifian et al, 2017).…”

Simple and complex burrow morphology in twoMacrophthalmusspecies on the intertidal mudflats of Barr Al Hikman, Sultanate of Oman

“…Macrophthalmus depressus is less abundant and lives close to the shore in silty sediments (Bom et al, 2020). These different crab species and tidal habitats may be associated with different burrow morphology but this remains unaccounted for (Naderloo et al 2011).…”