Annotated check list of the brachyuran crabs (Crustacea: Decapoda) from Gulf of Mannar region, south east coast of India

Abstract

The check list of brachyuran crabs studied from Therespuram, Vellapatti, Vethalai, Periyapattinam coast of Gulf of Mannar, south east coast of India. These landing centers show the maximum crab diversity. Moreover these four regions were taken for species composition and diversity study. Totally 60 individual crab species were recorded belonging to 10 families and 24 genera from these landing centers. The maximum crab species were recorded belonging to family Portunidae than other families. Among these four landing centers maximum diversity has been observed in Vedalai followed by Therespuram. Least diversity of brachyuran crabs has been documented from Vellapatti. Twenty six species from Portunidae, 10 species from Calappidae, 6 species from Xanthidae, 4 species from Leucosidae, 3 species from Dorippidae, Majidae and Parthenopidae, 2 species from Matutidae and Carpiliidae and 1 species from Dromiidae. The crabs families viz. Portunidae, Calappidae were obtained in almost all seasons from these landing centers.