Search

An annotated checklist of the mantis shrimps (Stomatopoda) occurring in India is compiled from published literature and specimens collected from coastal areas of Gujarat state. A total of 72 species, 35 genera, 10 families and 5 superfamilies reported from Indian waters are listed. Four species were recorded for the first time from Gujarat while one species, Erugosquilla hesperia (Manning, 1968), is confirmed for the first time from India. The maximum number of species was reported from Tamil Nadu (48 species), while fewest species were reported from Karnataka (2 species). The results also suggest that the east coast is more diverse (66 species) than the west coast of India (32 species).

Two species of the mud shrimp genus Upogebia Leach, 1814 (Gebiidea: Upogebiidae) are recorded from India for the first time based on material from Tamil Nadu: U. hexaceras (Ortmann, 1894) and U. nithyanandan (Sakai, Türkay & Al Aidaroos, 2015). Both were found in burrows in an unidentified sponge. Upogebia nithyanandan is resurrected as a valid species from the synonymy of U. balmaorum Ngoc-Ho, 1990, recently proposed by Dworschak & Poore (2018). The two species are fully described and illustrated on the basis of the newly collected specimens, and diagnostic characters for species recognition are discussed.

A little known littoral hermit crab, Clibanarius clibanarius (Herbst, 1791), is redescribed on the basis of material from southern India, supplemented by the photographs of the type material. The species appears closest to C. infraspinatus Hilgendorf, 1869, but the absence of a prominent ventral spine or protuberance on the cheliped meri immediately distinguishes C. clibanarius from C. infraspinatus. Although the species has been reported from wide areas in the Indo-West Pacific, records outside of India still needs to be verified.

A new species of the hermit crab genus Diogenes Dana, 1851, D. spongicola, is described and illustrated on the basis of material collected from two locations off southern India. It appears close to D. takedai Rahayu, 2012 among about 70 congeners, but easily differentiated from the latter by the spinulose anterolateral margins of the shield, the article 2 of the antennal peduncle armed only with one distal spine, the longer, spinose antennal acicle, the absence of prominent spines on the ventrolateral margin of the cheliped meri, and the different color of the cheliped palm. Specimens of the new species were all collected from cavities of a callyspongiid sponge Callyspongia diffusa (Ridley, 1884), suggesting a possible association between the hermit crab and sponge.

The Stomatopoda of India is comparatively well studied, with 79 species recorded to date. We herein report on a series of stomatopods collected by commercial fishing trawlers from localities on the southwest and southeastern coasts of India. The present series includes 17 species of stomatopods collected as trawl bycatch; seven are the first Indian records: Lysiosquillina lisa Ahyong & Randall, 2001, Odontodactylus cultrifer (White, 1951), O. japonicus (De Haan, 1844), Faughnia formosae Manning & Chan, 1997, Busquilla plantei Manning, 1978, Carinosquilla spinosa Ahyong & Naiyanetr, 2002, and Quollastria kapala Ahyong, 2001. Faughnia formosae is the first member of the superfamily Parasquilloidea to be recorded from India. We also show that Acanthosquilla dighaensis Ghosh, 1998, is a junior synonym of Bigelowina phalangium (Fabricius, 1798), described from Bombay but widespread in Indian waters.

A new species of gecarcinucid freshwater crab of the genus Oziotelphusa Müller, 1887, is described from stationary or slow-flowing bodies of water in Keeriparai near Nagercoil, in the state of Tamil Nadu in southern India. Oziotelphusa ravi, new species, is distinguished from its congeners by several distinct characters: the median tooth of the posterior margin of epistome forms a distinct bilobed tip in frontal view, the male pleonal somite 6 is narrowly trapezoidal and slightly wider than long with the lateral margins concave, the terminal segment of the male first gonopod is distinctly bent laterally (along the longitudinal axis) at an angle of about 45°, and the proximal part of the outer margin of the subterminal segment of the male first gonopod has a prominent deep concavity.

The availability of abundant fresh material of Aristeus alcocki Ramadan, 1938 from India allowed the evaluation of the variation in the numbers of photophores on the pereiopods in this species, as well as other diagnostic characters for species discrimination. Although the pereiopodal photophore counts in A. alcocki largely overlap with those of A. semidentatus Bate, 1888, it is found that A. alcocki is unique in the Indo-West Pacific species of the genus by the lower end of the cervical carina considerably farther away from the branchiostegal carina. Molecular genetic analysis confirmed the distinct taxonomic status of the six currently known species in this genus from the Indo-West Pacific and a revised key is provided for distinguishing them.

A new species of the hermit crab genus Diogenes Dana, 1851 (Diogenidae), D. canaliculatus, is described and illustrated on the basis of material from off the Kerala State, southern India. It is referred to the D. edwardsii (De Haan, 1849) species group, and compared with D. bicristimanus Alcock, 1905, D. fasciatus Rahayu & Forest, 1995, D. laevicarpus Rahayu, 1996 and D. moosai Rahayu & Forest, 1995. The characteristically sculptured left chela and the unarmed dorsal margins of the propodi of the second and third pereopods distinguish the new species from these congeners.

A new species of Carcinoplax H. Milne Edwards, 1852 (family Goneplacidae) is described from southern India. Carcinoplax fasciata n. sp. is closest to C. specularis Rathbun, 1914, but can be distinguished by its different coloration in life as well as structures of the carapace surface, anterolateral armature, supraorbital margin, chela and male first gonopod.

Octopuses of the genus Cistopus Gray, 1849 are commercially valuable catches in the cephalopod fisheries of India. The primary and unique diagnostic character of this genus is the possession of eight small mucous pouches embedded in the oral faces of the webs between the bases of each arm. Historically only a single species of Cistopus, C. indicus, had been reported from Indian waters. In reviewing the octopod fauna off the Kerala coast, we have detected three species of Cistopus, of which one is described here as a new species. Cistopus platinoidus sp. nov. is distinct from Cistopus species described to date (C. indicus, C. taiwanicus and C. chinensis) on the basis of sucker counts, the number and position of enlarged suckers in males, and presence/absence of a calamus. Our studies of catch composition of Kerala octopod fisheries indicate a higher diversity of target species than previously suspected, including a number of undescribed species. Taxonomic resolution and collation of biological and distributional data are required for effective monitoring and management of these valuable fisheries.

A new species of pinnotherid crab of the genus Afropinnotheres Manning, 1993, is described from the brown mussel, Perna perna (Linnaeus, 1758), in southwestern India. This is the first record of the genus from the western Indian Ocean, the other four species been recorded from the eastern Atlantic. The new species can be distinguished from all congeners in possessing a more rounded male carapace, form of the chela, relatively longer ambulatory legs which have no natatory setae, presence of dense pubescence on the male ambulatory legs, and the shape of the male and female telsons. The Indian Pinnotheridae is also reviewed and the taxonomy of the species reappraised. The taxonomy of Pinnaxodes Heller, 1865, and Holothuriophilus Nauck, 1880, is also discussed, in the context of their similarity to Afropinnotheres.

A new species of the hermit crab genus Paguristes Dana, 1851 (Diogenidae), P. luculentus, is described and illustrated on the basis of three male specimens collected from off the Kerala State, southwestern India. It belongs to the species group characterized by the posterior lobes of the telson unarmed on the terminal margins, but the characteristic armature of the chelae and carpi of the chelipeds, consisting of a covering of numerous small corneous-tipped spines, and the presence of numerous small corneous-tipped or corneous spines on the mesial faces of the dactyli of the second pereopods immediately distinguish the new species from other congeneric species. The new species represents the ninth of the genus known from Indian waters.

A new species of gecarcinucid freshwater crab of the genus Oziotelphusa Müller, 1887, is described from stationary or slow-flowing bodies of water in Keeriparai near Nagercoil, in the state of Tamil Nadu in southern India. Oziotelphusa ravi, new species, is distinguished from its congeners by several distinct characters: the median tooth of the posterior margin of epistome forms a distinct bilobed tip in frontal view, the male pleonal somite 6 is narrowly trapezoidal and slightly wider than long with the lateral margins concave, the terminal segment of the male first gonopod is distinctly bent laterally (along the longitudinal axis) at an angle of about 45°, and the proximal part of the outer margin of the subterminal segment of the male first gonopod has a prominent deep concavity.

A new species of slipper lobster of the genus Petrarctus Holthuis, 2002 was discovered from southwestern India during a survey of deep sea crustaceans. The new species closely resembles P. veliger Holthuis, 2002 from the Andaman Sea and western Pacific but differs mainly in the color marking on abdominal somite I, having a relatively lower cardiac tooth but with better developed tubercles on the abdomen, as well as a differently shaped anterior part of the thoracic sternum. Molecular genetic analysis also confirms the distinct taxonomic status of the new species. To fix the identity of the type species of the genus, a neotype of P. rugosus (H. Milne Edwards, 1837) was selected from a recently collected Indian specimen with color and genetic information.

A new species of rhizopine crab of the genus Typhlocarcinus Stimpson, 1858 (family Pilumnidae), is described from southwestern India. Typhlocarcinus kerala sp. nov. is characterised by its granular carapace with the dorsal regions well demarcated and the gastro-cardiac grooves deep, the anterolateral margin entire and prominently granulated, the posterolateral margin lacks a low granulated lobe, proportions of the ambulatory legs and shape of the female telson.

A new species of the hermit crab genus Diogenes Dana, 1851 (Diogenidae), D. canaliculatus, is described and illustrated on the basis of material from off the Kerala State, southern India. It is referred to the D. edwardsii (De Haan, 1849) species group, and compared with D. bicristimanus Alcock, 1905, D. fasciatus RahayuForest, 1995, D. laevicarpus Rahayu, 1996 and D. moosai RahayuForest, 1995. The characteristically sculptured left chela and the unarmed dorsal margins of the propodi of the second and third pereopods distinguish the new species from these congeners.

Octopuses of the genus Cistopus Gray, 1849 are commercially valuable catches in the cephalopod fisheries of India. The primary and unique diagnostic character of this genus is the possession of eight small mucous pouches embedded in the oral faces of the webs between the bases of each arm. Historically only a single species of Cistopus, C. indicus, had been reported from Indian waters. In reviewing the octopod fauna off the Kerala coast, we have detected three species of Cistopus, of which one is described here as a new species. Cistopus platinoidus sp. nov. is distinct from Cistopus species described to date (C. indicus, C. taiwanicus and C. chinensis) on the basis of sucker counts, the number and position of enlarged suckers in males, and presence/absence of a calamus. Our studies of catch composition of Kerala octopod fisheries indicate a higher diversity of target species than previously suspected, including a number of undescribed species. Taxonomic resolution and collation of biological and distributional data are required for effective monitoring and management of these valuable fisheries.

A new species of pinnotherid crab of the genus Afropinnotheres Manning, 1993, is described from the brown mussel, Perna perna (Linnaeus, 1758), in southwestern India. This is the first record of the genus from the western Indian Ocean, the other four species been recorded from the eastern Atlantic. The new species can be distinguished from all congeners in possessing a more rounded male carapace, form of the chela, relatively longer ambulatory legs which have no natatory setae, presence of dense pubescence on the male ambulatory legs, and the shape of the male and female telsons. The Indian Pinnotheridae is also reviewed and the taxonomy of the species reappraised. The taxonomy of Pinnaxodes Heller, 1865, and Holothuriophilus Nauck, 1880, is also discussed, in the context of their similarity to Afropinnotheres.

A new species of the hermit crab genus Paguristes Dana, 1851 (Diogenidae), P. luculentus, is described and illustrated on the basis of three male specimens collected from off the Kerala State, southwestern India. It belongs to the species group characterized by the posterior lobes of the telson unarmed on the terminal margins, but the characteristic armature of the chelae and carpi of the chelipeds, consisting of a covering of numerous small corneous-tipped spines, and the presence of numerous small corneous-tipped or corneous spines on the mesial faces of the dactyli of the second pereopods immediately distinguish the new species from other congeneric species. The new species represents the ninth of the genus known from Indian waters.