First Record of the Rarely Known Squat Lobster, Allomunida MagnichelesBaba, 1988 (Decapoda: Anomura: Galatheoidea: Galatheidae) from the Bay of Bengal, Northern Indian Ocean

The present study reports the rarely recorded species of the family Galatheidae, Allomunida magnichelesBaba 1988, based on material from the Indian Exclusive Economic Zone. The specimens attached to an unidentified soft coral of the genus DendronephthyaKükenthal, 1905, were collected using a Smith McIntyre grab from the depth of 52 m in the southwestern Bay of Bengal. Previous records showed that Allomunida magnicheleswas known only from the Philippines, Papua New Guinea, and New Caledonia; the present specimens greatly extend the distribution range of the species westwards to the Indian Ocean. Morphological description and intraspecific variations of A. magnichelesare provided.