First confirmed record of the sesarmid crab, Parasesarma bengalense (Davie, 2003) (Decapoda: Brachyura) in Indian waters

Abstract

The mangrove crab, Parasesarma bengalense (Davie, 2003), was previously reported in an ecological study from the Coringa Wildlife Sanctuary of Andhra Pradesh on the east coast of India. No specimen, however, is readily available to confirm the identity of P. bengalense from the Coringa Wildlife Sanctuary. The present study confirms the presence of P. bengalense in Indian waters for the first time based on the collections from Kerala and Maharashtra in the west coast of India (Arabian Sea). The distributional range of P. bengalense is now extended to the Arabian Sea because the species was previously known only from the Bay of Bengal and the Andaman Sea. India now has 918 species of marine brachyuran crabs and six species of Parasesarma De Man, 1895, including the present new record. The west coast of India is home to 465 brachyuran species whereas Kerala and Maharashtra coasts now contain 180 and 131 marine crab species, respectively. Parasesarma bengalense can be distinguished among the Indian species of Parasesarma except for P. bidens (De Haan, 1835) mainly by the presence of a prominent epibranchial tooth with a distinct notch. Parasesarma bengalense is distinct from P. bidens mainly by its male cheliped, which has a greater number of dactylar tubercles and a lesser number of teeth on the transverse crests of the palm.