Range extension of brachyuran crabs of the family Camptandriidae Stimpson, 1858 (Crustacea: Decapoda: Brachyura) in Indian waters

Abstract

Abstract.We report the presence of 3 species of brachyuran crabs, Opusia indica (Alcock, 1900), Nasima dotilliformis (Alcock, 1900) and Leptochryseus kuwaitensis (Jones & Clayton, 1983) (family Camptandriidae), for the first time from Indian waters. The species are so far reported from Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, UAE, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan. Records of these species in Indian waters extend their distribution range in the northern Indian Ocean. This study was carried out as part of an ongoing study on the brachyuran crab fauna of Gujarat state, India. The specimens were collected from coastal areas of Lakhpat (23°50′01″ N, 068°46′26″ E) and Jakhau (23°13′26″ N, 068°37′37″ E) (Fig. 1) located on the coast of northern Arabian Sea in the Gulf of Kachchh, Gujarat, and consisting of mangrove mudflat habitats. Specimens were collected by hand during low tide. Specimens were washed properly to remove sediment and photographed in the field using a Canon 1000D with 18-55 mm lens. Specimens were preserved in 70% alcohol and deposited in the Zoology Museum of the Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science, The Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda, Vadodara, Gujarat, India. Specimen catalogue numbers are provided in the species accounts below. Maximum carapace width (CW) and length (CL) were measured for each specimen. The abbreviation G1 is used for male first left gonopod and coll. for specimen collector.

First record of Pilumnopeus convexus (Maccagno, 1936) (Crustacea, Decapoda, Pilumnidae) from the Indian coast

“…The present study expands the geographic distribution of P. convexus in the Arabian Sea and Indian Ocean. Recently, many brachyuran crab species (i.e., Atergatis ocyroe (Herbst, 1901) (Tirmizi and Ghani 1996); Cryptopodia angulata H. Milne Edwards & Lucas, 1841 (Tirmizi and Kazmi 1983); Dentoxanthus iranicus Stephensen, 1945(Tirmizi and Serène 1971, Tirmizi and Kazmi 1982; Macrophthalmus (Mareotis) laevis A. Milne-Edwards, 1867 (Tirmizi and Ghani 1988); Opusia indica (Alcock, 1900) (Alcock 1900, Ng et al 2009)), which are common along the Pakistan coast, have been recorded for the first time from northwestern coastal India , Trivedi et al 2014, Trivedi and Vachhrajani 2016, Trivedi et al 2017.…”

Marine Macrobenthos of NorthWest India-Reviewing the Known and Unknown

“…Another survey on the brachyuran diversity at 8 different locations in this area yielded 19 species belonging to eight families (Trivedi et al, 2012) where the crabs preferred open mud flats as compared to other habitats. Three crab species all belonging to the family Campantriidae from the intertidal mangrove areas of Jakhau and Lakhpat were described by Trivedi et al (2017). From the mangrove rich intertidal zones of Mundra and Sanghi in the northern GoK, 13 and 17 gastropod species respectively were reported by Kardani et al (2014).…”

“…Dominant species were Cerithidea cingulata, Cerithidea fluviatilis, Umbonium vestarium, and Assiminea sp. Further north, three brachyuran crab species from the intertidal mangrove mudflats of Lakhpat and Jakhau located in the GoK mouth, were new records for Indian waters (Trivedi et al, 2017). Kachhiya et al (2017) described seven species of hermit crab belonging to genus Clibanarius from intertidal zones of Gujarat of which six were first records from Indian west coast.…”

Microplastic from beach sediment to tissue: a case study on burrowing crab Dotilla blanfordi

“…Extensive studies were conducted on various groups of crustaceans inhabiting the coastal areas of Gujarat State to understand their diversity ( Trivedi & Vachhrajani, 2013 , 2017 ; Trivedi, Soni & Vachhrajani, 2015 ; Trivedi, Osawa & Vachhrajani, 2016 ; Trivedi, Trivedi & Vachharajani, 2017 ; Trivedi, Campos & Vachhrajani, 2018 ; Trivedi et al, 2015a , 2015b , 2018 , 2020 ; Patel et al, 2022 ; Thacker et al, 2023 ) and ecology ( Trivedi, 2016 ; Trivedi & Vachhrajani, 2012 ; Trivedi & Vachhrajani, 2014a , 2014b ). Among these, crabs are widely distributed omnivores that are sensitive to environmental changes and frequently employed as pollution indicators ( Aheto et al, 2011 ; Jonah et al, 2015 ; Doshi et al, 2024 ).…”