Abstract

Five species of pilumnid crabs assigned to Eurycarcinus A. Milne-Edwards, 1867, Heteropanope Stimpson, 1858, and Pilumnopeus A. Milne-Edwards, 1867, have been reported from India: E. orientalis A. Milne-Edwards, 1867, E. bengalensis Deb, 1999, H. glabra Stimpson, 1858, H. neolaevis Deb, 1995, and P. convexus (Maccagno, 1936). The identity of E. bengalensis is confused and the species had been provisionally transferred to Heteropanope. Examination of the types however, confirms the affinities of the species with Eurycarcinus and consequently extends the range of the genus to the eastern Indian Ocean. A re-examination of the types of H. neolaevis show that it is a junior subjective synonym of Aniptumnus quadridentus (De Man, 1895), and is the first record of the genus from India. Eurycarcinus integrifrons De Man, 1879, is also formally recorded for the first time from India.

Keywords
Aniptumnus ; Eurycarcinus ; Gujarat; Heteropanope ; India; new records; Pilumnopeus ; synonymy; taxonomy; West Bengal

INTRODUCTION

Davie (1989Davie, P.J.F. 1989. A re-appraisal of Heteropanope Stimpson, and Pilumnopeus A. Milne Edwards (Crustacea: Decapoda: Pilumnidae) with description of new species and genera. Memoirs of the Queensland Museum, 27: 129-156.) revised the taxonomy of the Indo-West Pacific pilumnid genera HeteropanopeStimpson, 1858Stimpson, W. 1858. Prodromus descriptionis animalium evertebratorum, quae in expeditione ad Oceanum Pacificum Septentrionalem, a Republica Federatamissa, C. Ringoold et J. Rogers ducibus, observavit et descripsit. Pars IV. Crustacea Cancroidea et Corystoidea. Proceedings of the Academy of Natural Science of Philadelphia, 10: 31-40., and Pilumnopeus A. Milne-Edwards, 1867Milne-Edwards, A. 1867. Descriptions de quelques espéces nouvelles de Crustacés Brachyures. Annales de la Société entomologique de France, 4e série, 7: 263-288., and transferred several species to his new genus, Benthopanope Davie, 1989. The three genera were distinguished by carapace morphology, structure of the frontal margin, basal antennal article, male thoracic sternum, and male pleon (Davie, 1989Davie, P.J.F. 1989. A re-appraisal of Heteropanope Stimpson, and Pilumnopeus A. Milne Edwards (Crustacea: Decapoda: Pilumnidae) with description of new species and genera. Memoirs of the Queensland Museum, 27: 129-156.). Until then, the taxonomy of these similar-looking genera was confused. Although Davie (1989Davie, P.J.F. 1989. A re-appraisal of Heteropanope Stimpson, and Pilumnopeus A. Milne Edwards (Crustacea: Decapoda: Pilumnidae) with description of new species and genera. Memoirs of the Queensland Museum, 27: 129-156.: 130) noted that the Indian Ocean Eurycarcinus A. Milne-Edwards, 1867Milne-Edwards, A. 1867. Descriptions de quelques espéces nouvelles de Crustacés Brachyures. Annales de la Société entomologique de France, 4e série, 7: 263-288., was close to Heteropanope, but, as he did not have access to specimens, was unable to discuss the characters distinguishing these two genera.

In India, two species of Eurycarcinus have previously been recorded: E. natalensis (Krauss, 1843) Andhra Pradesh (Dev Roy and Nandi, 2007Dev Roy, M.K. and Nandi, N.C. 2007. Brachyuran bioresources of coastal Andhra Pradesh. p. 53-66. In: Director ZSI, Kolkata (ed), National Symposium on Conservation and Validation of Marine Biodiversity. Kolkata, Zoological Survey of India .; Dev Roy, 2008Dev Roy, M.K. 2008. An annotated checklist of mangrove and coral reef inhabiting Brachyuran crabs of India. Records of Zoological Survey of India, Occasional Paper, 289: 1-212.); Tamil Nadu (Thomas, 1969Thomas, M.M. 1969. Catalogue of crabs and hermit-crabs in the reference collections of the central marine fisheries research institute. Bulletin of the Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute, 7: 41-50.; Dev Roy, 2008Dev Roy, M.K. 2008. An annotated checklist of mangrove and coral reef inhabiting Brachyuran crabs of India. Records of Zoological Survey of India, Occasional Paper, 289: 1-212.; Kathirvel and Gokul, 2010Kathirvel, M. and Gokul, A. 2010. Checklist of brachyuran crabs from the Gulf of Mannar marine biosphere reserve. Technical Bulletin 4. The Fisheries Technocrats Forum Chennai, 45p.); West Bengal (Deb, 1995Deb, M. 1995. Crustacea: Xanthidae. p. 217-228. In: A. K. Ghosh (ed), Hugli Matla estuary west Bengal. Estuarine Ecosystem Series, 2. Kolkata, Zoological Survey of India.; Dev Roy and Nandi, 2012Dev Roy, M.K. and Nandi, N.C. 2012. Brachyuran crabs (Crustacea). p. 185-236. In: Director ZSI, Kolkata (ed), Fauna of Andaman and Nicobar islands. State Fauna Series, 19(1). Kolkata, Zoological Survey of India. ); Andaman and Nicobar Islands (Thomas, 1969Thomas, M.M. 1969. Catalogue of crabs and hermit-crabs in the reference collections of the central marine fisheries research institute. Bulletin of the Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute, 7: 41-50.; Bakus, 1994Bakus, G.J. 1994. Coral Reef Ecosystems. New Delhi, Oxford & Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd., 232p.; Venkataraman et al., 2004Vekataraman, K.; Jeyabaskaran, R.; Raghuram, K.P. and Alfred, J.R.B. 2004. Bibliography and checklist of corals and coral reef associated organisms of India. Records of Zoological Survey of India, Occasional Paper, 226: 1-468.), and E. orientalis A. Milne-Edwards, 1867Milne-Edwards, A. 1867. Descriptions de quelques espéces nouvelles de Crustacés Brachyures. Annales de la Société entomologique de France, 4e série, 7: 263-288. Gujarat (Chhapgar, 1957Chhapgar, B.F. 1957. On the marine crabs (Decapoda, Brachyura) of Bombay State, Part I. Journal of Bombay Natural History Society, 54: 399-439.; Trivedi et al., 2012Trivedi, J.N.; Gadhavi, M.K. and Vachhrajani, K.D. 2012. Diversity and habitat preference of brachyuran crabs in Gulf of Kutch, Gujarat, India. Arthropods, 1: 13-23.; Pandya and Vachhrajani, 2013Pandya, P.J. and Vachhrajani, K.D. 2013. Brachyuran crab diversity of lower estuarine mud flats of Mahi River with new record of two species from Gujarat, India. Arthropods, 2: 242-250.); Maharashtra (Chhapga 1957Chhapgar, B.F. 1957. On the marine crabs (Decapoda, Brachyura) of Bombay State, Part I. Journal of Bombay Natural History Society, 54: 399-439.; Pati et al., 2012Pati, S.K.; Sahu, K.C.; Swain, D.; Baliarsingh, S.K. and Sharma, R.M. 2012. Marine crabs (Decapoda: Anomura and Brachyura). p. 381-385. In: Director ZSI, Kolkata (ed), Fauna of Maharashtra. State Fauna Series, 20 (Part 2). Kolkata, Zoological Survey of India .); Goa (Dev Roy and Bhadra, 2008Dev Roy, M.K. and Bhadra, S. 2008. Marine and estuarine crabs (Crustacea: Decapoda: Brachyura). p. 109-154. In: Director ZSI, Kolkata (ed), Fauna of Goa State Fauna Series, 16. Kolkata, Zoological Survey of India . ; Dev Roy, 2013Dev Roy, M.K. 2013. Diversity and distribution of marine brachyuran crab communities inhabiting west coast of India. p 147-169. In: K. Venkatraman; C. Sivaperuman and C. Raghunathan (eds), Ecology and Conservation of Tropical Marine Faunal Communities, Part 1. Berlin, Springer.); Karnataka (Chhapgar, 1957Chhapgar, B.F. 1957. On the marine crabs (Decapoda, Brachyura) of Bombay State, Part I. Journal of Bombay Natural History Society, 54: 399-439.; Haragi et al., 2010Haragi, S.B.; Naik, U.G. and Rathod, J.L. 2010. Brachyuran diversity in sub littoral zone of tropical estuary, Karwar, west coast of India. 12 p. In: Abstracts, Lake 2010: Wetlands, Biodiversity and Climate Change, 22nd-24th December 2010, Bengalore, India, Indian Institute of Science. Available at http://wgbis.ces.iisc.ac.in/energy/lake2010/theme3/shivakumar_haragi.pdf. Accessed on 28 June 2014
http://wgbis.ces.iisc.ac.in/energy/lake2... ); Kerala (Dev Roy, 2013Dev Roy, M.K. 2013. Diversity and distribution of marine brachyuran crab communities inhabiting west coast of India. p 147-169. In: K. Venkatraman; C. Sivaperuman and C. Raghunathan (eds), Ecology and Conservation of Tropical Marine Faunal Communities, Part 1. Berlin, Springer.); Andhra Pradesh (Dev Roy and Nandi, 2007Dev Roy, M.K. and Nandi, N.C. 2007. Brachyuran bioresources of coastal Andhra Pradesh. p. 53-66. In: Director ZSI, Kolkata (ed), National Symposium on Conservation and Validation of Marine Biodiversity. Kolkata, Zoological Survey of India .; Dev Roy, 2008Dev Roy, M.K. 2008. An annotated checklist of mangrove and coral reef inhabiting Brachyuran crabs of India. Records of Zoological Survey of India, Occasional Paper, 289: 1-212.; Rath and Dev Roy, 2009Rath, S. and Dev Roy, M.K. 2009. Brachyuran crabs (Crustacea: Decapoda: Brachyura). p. 43–81. In: Director ZSI, Kolkata (ed.) Estuarine Ecosystem Series 5: Fauna of Krishna Estuary, Zoological Survey of India, Kolkata, 2008.); Orissa (Dev Roy and Rath, 2017Dev Roy, M.K. and Rath, S. 2017. An inventory of crustacean fauna from Odisha Coast, India. Journal of Environment and Sociobiology, 14: 49-112.); West Bengal (Dev Roy and Nandi, 2012Dev Roy, M.K. and Nandi, N.C. 2012. Brachyuran crabs (Crustacea). p. 185-236. In: Director ZSI, Kolkata (ed), Fauna of Andaman and Nicobar islands. State Fauna Series, 19(1). Kolkata, Zoological Survey of India. ); Andaman and Nicobar Islands (Dev Roy and Nandi, 2012Dev Roy, M.K. and Nandi, N.C. 2012. Brachyuran crabs (Crustacea). p. 185-236. In: Director ZSI, Kolkata (ed), Fauna of Andaman and Nicobar islands. State Fauna Series, 19(1). Kolkata, Zoological Survey of India. ). Two species in these genera were later described from specimens collected in the Bay of Bengal, India: Heteropanope neolaevis Deb, 1995, and Eurycarcinus bengalensis Deb, 1999. Subsequently, Trivedi et al. (2015Trivedi, J.N.; Soni, G.M. and Vachhrajani, K.D. 2015. First record of brachyuran crab Heteropanope glabra Stimpson, 1858 (Crustacea, Decapoda, Pilumnidae) from India. Marine Biodiversity Records, 8: 1-5.) and Gosavi et al. (2017Gosavi, S.S.; Trivedi, J.N.; Trivedi, D.J. and Vachhrajani, K.D. 2017. First record of Pilumnopeus convexus (Maccagno, 1936) (Crustacea, Decapoda, Pilumnidae) from the Indian coast. Check List, 13: 429-433.) recorded Heteropanope glabraStimpson, 1858Stimpson, W. 1858. Prodromus descriptionis animalium evertebratorum, quae in expeditione ad Oceanum Pacificum Septentrionalem, a Republica Federatamissa, C. Ringoold et J. Rogers ducibus, observavit et descripsit. Pars IV. Crustacea Cancroidea et Corystoidea. Proceedings of the Academy of Natural Science of Philadelphia, 10: 31-40., and Pilumnopeus convexus (Maccagno, 1936Maccagno, T. 1936. Crostacei di Assab: Decapodi Stomatopodi Anfipodi. Spedizione del Barone Raimondo Franchetti in Dancalia (1928-29). Annali del Museo Civico di Storia Naturale di Genova, 59: 171-186.), respectively, from India.

Ng et al. (2018Ng, P.K.L.; Abdelsalam, K.M.; Mona, M.H. and Nour Eldeen, M.F. 2018. A synopsis of the genus Eurycarcinus A. Milne- Edwards, 1867 (Decapoda, Brachyura, Pilumnidae). Crustaceana, 91: 471-487.) revised Eurycarcinus, and distinguished it from Heteropanope by the following characters: thoracic sternite 8 remains clearly exposed when the male pleon is closed, male pleonal somite 3 is proportionately wider with the lateral margin distinctly projecting on lateral side, and male thoracic sternites 3 and 4 are transversely wider with the sterno-pleonal cavity close to the margin between sternites 3 and 4. On the basis of the published figures of Deb (1995Deb, M. 1995. Crustacea: Xanthidae. p. 217-228. In: A. K. Ghosh (ed), Hugli Matla estuary west Bengal. Estuarine Ecosystem Series, 2. Kolkata, Zoological Survey of India., 1999Deb, M. 1999. Crustacea: Decapoda: crabs. p. 345-403. In: Director ZSI, Kolkata (ed), Fauna of west Bengal. State Fauna Series, 3. Kolkata, Zoological Survey of India , (part 10) (dated as 1998).), Ng et al. (2018Ng, P.K.L.; Abdelsalam, K.M.; Mona, M.H. and Nour Eldeen, M.F. 2018. A synopsis of the genus Eurycarcinus A. Milne- Edwards, 1867 (Decapoda, Brachyura, Pilumnidae). Crustaceana, 91: 471-487.) suggested that E. bengalensis can be assigned to Heteropanope on the basis of carapace shape but was uncertain about H. neolaevis because its gonopod structure was atypical for the genus. Trivedi et al. (2018Trivedi, J.N.; Trivedi, D.J.; Vachhrajani, K.D. and Ng, P.K.L. 2018. An annotated checklist of the marine brachyuran crabs (Crustacea: Decapoda: Brachyura) of India. Zootaxa, 4502: 1-83.: 59) noted that the records of E. natalensis from different parts of India were suspect and more likely belong to species of Heteropanope instead. Eurycarcinus natalensis is known for certain only from southern and eastern Africa (Ng et al., 2018Ng, P.K.L.; Abdelsalam, K.M.; Mona, M.H. and Nour Eldeen, M.F. 2018. A synopsis of the genus Eurycarcinus A. Milne- Edwards, 1867 (Decapoda, Brachyura, Pilumnidae). Crustaceana, 91: 471-487.). Trivedi et al. (2018Trivedi, J.N.; Trivedi, D.J.; Vachhrajani, K.D. and Ng, P.K.L. 2018. An annotated checklist of the marine brachyuran crabs (Crustacea: Decapoda: Brachyura) of India. Zootaxa, 4502: 1-83.: 59) also expressed doubts about the records of E. orientalis from eastern India, a species otherwise only known for certain from the western Indian Ocean (Ng et al., 2018Ng, P.K.L.; Abdelsalam, K.M.; Mona, M.H. and Nour Eldeen, M.F. 2018. A synopsis of the genus Eurycarcinus A. Milne- Edwards, 1867 (Decapoda, Brachyura, Pilumnidae). Crustaceana, 91: 471-487.).

The present paper examines and describes new material of the above genera including the types of H. bengalensis and H. neolaevis. Eurycarcinus integrifrons De Man, 1879Man, J.G. de 1879. On some new or imperfectly known Podophthalmous Crustacea of the Leyden Museum. Notes from the Leyden Museum, 1: 53-73. is formally recorded here for the first time from India. Eurycarcinus bengalensis is shown to be a valid taxon but the type material contains two species, with the paratype females belonging to E. integrifrons instead. In addition, H. neolaevis is shown to be a junior subjective synonym of Aniptumnus quadridentatus (De Man, 1895Man, J.G. de 1895. Berichtüber die von Herrn Schiffscapitän Storm zu Atjeh, an den westlichen Küsten von Malakka, Borneo und Celebes sowie in der Java-See gesammelten Decapoden und Stomatopoden. Zoologische Jahrbücher, Abteilungfür Systematik, Geographie und Biologie der Thiere, 8: 485-609.).

MATERIAL AND METHODS

The specimens examined are deposited in the Zoological Reference Collection, Department of Life Sciences, Hemchandracharya North Gujarat University, Patan, Gujarat, India (LFSc.ZRC); Zoological Survey of India, Kolkata, India (ZSI); and the Zoological Reference Collection of the Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum, National University of Singapore (ZRC). The terminology used in the description follows Davie et al. (2015Davie, P.J.F.; Guinot, D. and Ng, P.K.L. 2015. Anatomy and functional morphology of Brachyura. p. 11-63. In: P. Castro; P. J. F. Davie; D. Guinot; F. R. Schram and J.C. von Vaupel Klein (eds), Treatise on Zoology - Anatomy, Taxonomy, Biology The Crustacea, 9C-I: Decapoda: Brachyura (part 1). Leiden, Brill.) and Ng et al. (2018Ng, P.K.L.; Abdelsalam, K.M.; Mona, M.H. and Nour Eldeen, M.F. 2018. A synopsis of the genus Eurycarcinus A. Milne- Edwards, 1867 (Decapoda, Brachyura, Pilumnidae). Crustaceana, 91: 471-487.). The following abbreviations are used: CL = carapace length; CW = carapace width; G1 = male first gonopod; G2 = male second gonopod; coll. = collector. All the measurements are in millimeters (mm).

TAXONOMY

Family Pilumnidae Samouelle, 1819Samouelle, G. 1819. The Entomologist’s Useful Compendium, or an Introduction to the Knowledge of the British Insects. London, Thomas Boys, 496p.

Genus Eurycarcinus A. Milne-Edwards, 1867Milne-Edwards, A. 1867. Descriptions de quelques espéces nouvelles de Crustacés Brachyures. Annales de la Société entomologique de France, 4e série, 7: 263-288.

Eurycarcinus orientalis A. Milne-Edwards, 1867Milne-Edwards, A. 1867. Descriptions de quelques espéces nouvelles de Crustacés Brachyures. Annales de la Société entomologique de France, 4e série, 7: 263-288.

(Figs. 1, 9A-C)

Eurycarcinus orientalis A. Milne-Edwards, 1867Milne-Edwards, A. 1867. Descriptions de quelques espéces nouvelles de Crustacés Brachyures. Annales de la Société entomologique de France, 4e série, 7: 263-288.: 277; Jones, 1986Jones, D.A. 1986. A field guide to the sea shores of Kuwait and the Arabian Gulf. University of Kuwait, Poole, Dorset, UK, distributed by Blandford Press, 192p.: 162, pl. 47; Vousden, 1987Vousden, D.H. 1987. The Bahrain Marine Habitat Survey. A study of the marine habitats in the waters of Bahrain and their relationship to physical, chemical, biological and anthropogenic influences. Kuwait, R.O.P.M.E., 95p. + appendices.: 36, tabs. 4, 7; Apel and Türkay, 1992Apel, M. and Türkay, M. 1992. The intertidal crabs and hermit crabs (Crustacea: Decapoda: Brachyura and Paguridea) in the study area and their condition after the oil spill. Final report for phase I CEC-Project: establishment of a Marine Habitat and Wildlife Sanctuary for the Gulf Region, p 187-205.: 194, 204, 205; Ismail and Ahmed, 1993Ismail, N.S. and Ahmed, M.A.E. 1993. Macrobenthic invertebrates of mangrove, Avicennia marina (Forskal), and of intertidal flats of Khor Kalba, U.A.E., Gulf of Oman. In: H. Lieth and A. Al Masoom (eds), Towards the rational use of high salinity tolerant plants, Vol. 1. Tasks for Vegetation Sciences, 27(1): 155-161.: 158; Apel 1994aApel, M. 1994a. Effects of the 1991 Gulf War oil spill on the crab fauna of intertidal mudflats in the western Arabian Gulf. Courier Forschungsinstitute Senckenberg, 166: 40-46.: 43, 44; Apel, 2001Apel, M. 2001. Taxonomie und Zoogeographie der Brachyura, Paguridea und Porcellanidae (Crustacea: Decapoda) des Persisch-Arabischen Golfes. Frankfurt am Main, Germany, Johann Wolfgang Goethe Universität, Biologie und Informatik, Doctoral dissertation, 260p. [Unpublished] : 97, 98; Al-Khayat and Jones, 1996Al-Khayat, J.A. and Jones, D.A. 1996. Two new genera, Manningis and Leptochryseus (Decapoda: Camptandriinae), and descriptions of the first zoea of six brachyurans from the Arabian Gulf. Journal of Crustacean Biology, 16: 797-813.: 806, fig. 5; Al-Khayat and Jones, 1999Al-Khayat, J.A. and Jones, D.A. 1999. A comparison of the macrofauna of natural and replanted mangroves in Qatar. Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science, 49: 55-63.: 58, 61; Tirmizi and Ghani, 1996Tirmizi, N.M. and Ghani, N. 1996. Marine fauna of Pakistan: 5. Crustacea: Brachyura, Brachyrhyncha, Part 1: Xanthidae, Goneplacidae, Pinnotheridae, Ocypodidae, Grapsidae. Karachi, Center of Excellence in Marine Biology, University of Karachi, 188p.: 30-32, fig 10; Cooper, 1997Cooper, R.T. 1997. Mangal-associated Brachyura (Ocypodidae, Grapsidae, Portunidae, Majidae, Xanthidae and Leucosiidae) from the north-eastern coastal Islands of Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. Crustaceana, 70: 155-179.: 168-170, figs. 4, 5, 15; Hornby, 1997Hornby, R. 1997. A survey of the habitats, invertebrate fauna and environmental sensitivity of the mainland coast of the UAE, with information on status and distribution of Crustaceans. Tribulus Bulletin of Emirates Natural History Group, 7: 11-17.: 16 (? part); Ng et al., 2008Ng, P.K.L.; Guinot, D. and Davie, P.J.F. 2008. Systema Brachyurorum, part I. An annotated checklist of extant brachyuran crabs of the world. Raffles Bulletin of Zoology, Supplement 17: 1-286.: 140 (list); Naderloo and Türkay, 2012Naderloo, R. and Türkay, M. 2012. Decapod crustaceans of the littoral and shallow sublittoral Iranian coast of the Persian Gulf: faunistics, biodiversity and zoogeography. Zootaxa, 3374: 1-67.: 37; Al-Khafaji et al., 2017Al-Khafaji, K.K.; Khary, D.S. and Al-Malik, T.H.Y. 2017. First records of two pilumnid crabs: Pilumnopeus convexus Maccagno, 1936 and Eurycarcinus orientalis Edwards, 1867 (Crustacea, Decapoda, Pilumnidae) from Khor Al-Zubair Canal, South of Iraq. International Journal of Marine Science, 7(36): 361-365.: 363, fig. 3; Naderloo, 2017Naderloo, R. 2017. Atlas of crabs of the Persian Gulf. Cham, Springer, 440p.: 304, figs. 26.10c, 26.11, 26.13; Ng et al., 2018Ng, P.K.L.; Abdelsalam, K.M.; Mona, M.H. and Nour Eldeen, M.F. 2018. A synopsis of the genus Eurycarcinus A. Milne- Edwards, 1867 (Decapoda, Brachyura, Pilumnidae). Crustaceana, 91: 471-487.: 484, figs. 1C, 3B, 4B, 5B, 6B, E, 7B, E, H, 8B, F, G; Trivedi et al., 2018Trivedi, J.N.; Trivedi, D.J.; Vachhrajani, K.D. and Ng, P.K.L. 2018. An annotated checklist of the marine brachyuran crabs (Crustacea: Decapoda: Brachyura) of India. Zootaxa, 4502: 1-83.: 59 (list).

Eurycarcinus grandidieri - Alcock, 1898Alcock, A. 1898. Material for a carcinological fauna of India. No. 3: the Brachyura Cyclometopa. Part I. The family Xanthidae. Journal of Asiatic Society of Bengal, 67: 67-233.: 211, 212 [not Eurycarcinus grandidierii A. Milne-Edwards, 1867Milne-Edwards, A. 1867. Descriptions de quelques espéces nouvelles de Crustacés Brachyures. Annales de la Société entomologique de France, 4e série, 7: 263-288. = E. natalensis (Krauss, 1843)].

Eurycarcinus sp. - Basson et al., 1977Basson, P.W.; Burchard, J.E.; Hardy, J.T. and Price, A.R.G. 1977. Biotopes of the Western Arabian Gulf: Marine life and environments of Saudi Arabia. Dhahran, ARAMCO, Department of Loss Prevention and Environmental Affairs, p. 1-289.: 58, 228 (in list), fig. 38; Titgen, 1982Titgen, R.H. 1982. The systematics and ecology of the Decapods of Dubai, and their zoogeographic relationships to the Arabian Gulf and the Western Indian Ocean. College Station, Texas A & M University, PhD thesis, 269 p. [Unpublished]: 131.

Type locality. Mumbai, India.

Material examined. 5 males (CW 27.6-41.5 mm, CL 17.5-26.9 mm), 4 females (CW 28.5-6.4 mm, CL 17.5-23.0 mm), LFSc.ZRC-64, Kamboi (22°12’59"N 72°36’59”E), Gujarat State, India, 11 April 2014, coll. J. Trivedi.

Remarks. The specimens examined in the present study agree with the description and figures of the species provided by Ng et al. (2018Ng, P.K.L.; Abdelsalam, K.M.; Mona, M.H. and Nour Eldeen, M.F. 2018. A synopsis of the genus Eurycarcinus A. Milne- Edwards, 1867 (Decapoda, Brachyura, Pilumnidae). Crustaceana, 91: 471-487.). Eurycarcinus orientalis resembles E. natalensis in carapace shape and dentition of the anterolateral border but can be separated from the latter in the following characters: the carapace is high (Fig. 1A) (not prominently raised in E. natalensis; cf. Ng et al., 2018Ng, P.K.L.; Abdelsalam, K.M.; Mona, M.H. and Nour Eldeen, M.F. 2018. A synopsis of the genus Eurycarcinus A. Milne- Edwards, 1867 (Decapoda, Brachyura, Pilumnidae). Crustaceana, 91: 471-487.: figs. 1A; 6A, D); suborbital and pterygostomial regions are prominently granulated (Fig. 1B) (less granulated in E. natalensis; cf. Ng et al., 2018Ng, P.K.L.; Abdelsalam, K.M.; Mona, M.H. and Nour Eldeen, M.F. 2018. A synopsis of the genus Eurycarcinus A. Milne- Edwards, 1867 (Decapoda, Brachyura, Pilumnidae). Crustaceana, 91: 471-487.: fig. 6D); G1 distal part gently recurved, tip gently curved (Fig. 9A, B) (distal part prominently recurved, tip hook shaped in E. natalensis; cf. Ng et al., 2018Ng, P.K.L.; Abdelsalam, K.M.; Mona, M.H. and Nour Eldeen, M.F. 2018. A synopsis of the genus Eurycarcinus A. Milne- Edwards, 1867 (Decapoda, Brachyura, Pilumnidae). Crustaceana, 91: 471-487.: fig. 8A, D, E).

Eurycarcinus orientalis is so far reported from the Gulf of Aden, Persian Gulf, Gulf of Oman, Pakistan, India, and Thailand (Naderloo, 2017Naderloo, R. 2017. Atlas of crabs of the Persian Gulf. Cham, Springer, 440p.; Ng et al., 2018Ng, P.K.L.; Abdelsalam, K.M.; Mona, M.H. and Nour Eldeen, M.F. 2018. A synopsis of the genus Eurycarcinus A. Milne- Edwards, 1867 (Decapoda, Brachyura, Pilumnidae). Crustaceana, 91: 471-487.). In India, the species is recorded from Gujarat, Maharashtra, Karnataka (Chhapgar, 1957Chhapgar, B.F. 1957. On the marine crabs (Decapoda, Brachyura) of Bombay State, Part I. Journal of Bombay Natural History Society, 54: 399-439.) and Kerala (Dev Roy, 2013Dev Roy, M.K. 2013. Diversity and distribution of marine brachyuran crab communities inhabiting west coast of India. p 147-169. In: K. Venkatraman; C. Sivaperuman and C. Raghunathan (eds), Ecology and Conservation of Tropical Marine Faunal Communities, Part 1. Berlin, Springer.). Trivedi et al. (2018Trivedi, J.N.; Trivedi, D.J.; Vachhrajani, K.D. and Ng, P.K.L. 2018. An annotated checklist of the marine brachyuran crabs (Crustacea: Decapoda: Brachyura) of India. Zootaxa, 4502: 1-83.) commented that all the records of this species from the east coast including Andhra Pradesh (Dev Roy and Nandi, 2007Dev Roy, M.K. and Nandi, N.C. 2007. Brachyuran bioresources of coastal Andhra Pradesh. p. 53-66. In: Director ZSI, Kolkata (ed), National Symposium on Conservation and Validation of Marine Biodiversity. Kolkata, Zoological Survey of India .), Orissa (Dev Roy and Rath, 2017Dev Roy, M.K. and Rath, S. 2017. An inventory of crustacean fauna from Odisha Coast, India. Journal of Environment and Sociobiology, 14: 49-112.), West Bengal (Dev Roy and Nandi, 2012Dev Roy, M.K. and Nandi, N.C. 2012. Brachyuran crabs (Crustacea). p. 185-236. In: Director ZSI, Kolkata (ed), Fauna of Andaman and Nicobar islands. State Fauna Series, 19(1). Kolkata, Zoological Survey of India. ), and Andaman and Nicobar Islands (Dev Roy and Nandi, 2012Dev Roy, M.K. and Nandi, N.C. 2012. Brachyuran crabs (Crustacea). p. 185-236. In: Director ZSI, Kolkata (ed), Fauna of Andaman and Nicobar islands. State Fauna Series, 19(1). Kolkata, Zoological Survey of India. ) require re-examination.

Trivedi et al. (2018Trivedi, J.N.; Trivedi, D.J.; Vachhrajani, K.D. and Ng, P.K.L. 2018. An annotated checklist of the marine brachyuran crabs (Crustacea: Decapoda: Brachyura) of India. Zootaxa, 4502: 1-83.) commented that the records of E. natalensis from India: Andhra Pradesh (Dev Roy and Nandi, 2007Dev Roy, M.K. and Nandi, N.C. 2007. Brachyuran bioresources of coastal Andhra Pradesh. p. 53-66. In: Director ZSI, Kolkata (ed), National Symposium on Conservation and Validation of Marine Biodiversity. Kolkata, Zoological Survey of India .), Tamil Nadu (Thomas, 1969Thomas, M.M. 1969. Catalogue of crabs and hermit-crabs in the reference collections of the central marine fisheries research institute. Bulletin of the Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute, 7: 41-50.), West Bengal (Dev Roy and Nandi, 2012Dev Roy, M.K. and Nandi, N.C. 2012. Brachyuran crabs (Crustacea). p. 185-236. In: Director ZSI, Kolkata (ed), Fauna of Andaman and Nicobar islands. State Fauna Series, 19(1). Kolkata, Zoological Survey of India. ), and Andaman and Nicobar Islands (Thomas, 1969Thomas, M.M. 1969. Catalogue of crabs and hermit-crabs in the reference collections of the central marine fisheries research institute. Bulletin of the Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute, 7: 41-50.) are doubtful. Some of these may have been based on earlier incorrect identifications of Indian material by Alcock (1898Alcock, A. 1898. Material for a carcinological fauna of India. No. 3: the Brachyura Cyclometopa. Part I. The family Xanthidae. Journal of Asiatic Society of Bengal, 67: 67-233.) as Eurycarcinus grandidieri, the latter species being a junior synonym of E. natalensis. On the basis of the available specimens examined here, these records are probably a species of Heteropanope or Eurycarcinus and require re-examination, but, based on biogeography, they are likely to be E. bengalensis or E. integrifrons (see discussion for these species).

Eurycarcinus integrifrons De Man, 1879Man, J.G. de 1879. On some new or imperfectly known Podophthalmous Crustacea of the Leyden Museum. Notes from the Leyden Museum, 1: 53-73.

(Figs. 2, 9D-F)

Eurycarcinus integrifrons De Man,1879Man, J.G. de 1879. On some new or imperfectly known Podophthalmous Crustacea of the Leyden Museum. Notes from the Leyden Museum, 1: 53-73.: 55, 56; Apel, 1994bApel, M. 1994b. Biology, ecology and taxonomy of brachyuran and paguridean Crustacea. p. 406-437. In: F. Krupp; A.H. Abuzinada and I.A. Nader (eds), Establishment of a marine habitat and Wildlife Sanctuary for the Gulf region final report for phase II. Jubail & Frankfurt, Frankfurt a. Main, CFC/WCWCD. : 415, 433, 434; Al-Ghais and Cooper, 1996Al-Ghais, S. and Cooper, R. 1996. Brachyura (Grapsidae, Ocypodidae, Portunidae, Xanthidae and Leucosiidae) of Umm Al Quwain mangal, United Arab Emirates. Tropical Zoology, 9: 409-430.: 425, 426; Apel, 2001Apel, M. 2001. Taxonomie und Zoogeographie der Brachyura, Paguridea und Porcellanidae (Crustacea: Decapoda) des Persisch-Arabischen Golfes. Frankfurt am Main, Germany, Johann Wolfgang Goethe Universität, Biologie und Informatik, Doctoral dissertation, 260p. [Unpublished] : 97; Naderloo and Sari, 2007Naderloo, R. and Sari, A. 2007. Subtidal crabs of the Iranian coast of the Persian Gulf: new collections and biogeographic considerations. Aquatic Ecosystem Health Management, 10: 341-349.: 344, tab. 1; Özcan et al., 2010Özcan, T.; Katağan, T. and Ng P.K.L. 2010. First record of Eurycarcinus integrifrons De Man, 1879 (Decapoda, Pilumnidae) from the Mediterranean Sea. Crustaceana, 83: 507-510.: 507, fig. 2; Naderloo and Türkay, 2012Naderloo, R. and Türkay, M. 2012. Decapod crustaceans of the littoral and shallow sublittoral Iranian coast of the Persian Gulf: faunistics, biodiversity and zoogeography. Zootaxa, 3374: 1-67.: 36; Naderloo et al., 2013Naderloo, R.; Türkay, M. and Sari, A. 2013. Intertidal habitats and decapod (Crustacea) diversity of Qeshm Island, a biodiversity hotspot within the Persian Gulf. Marine Biodiversity, 43: 445-462.: 449, 456, tab 2; Naderloo, 2017Naderloo, R. 2017. Atlas of crabs of the Persian Gulf. Cham, Springer, 440p.: 303, figs. 26.10b, 26.11, 26.12; Ng et al., 2018Ng, P.K.L.; Abdelsalam, K.M.; Mona, M.H. and Nour Eldeen, M.F. 2018. A synopsis of the genus Eurycarcinus A. Milne- Edwards, 1867 (Decapoda, Brachyura, Pilumnidae). Crustaceana, 91: 471-487.: 484, figs. 1C,3B, 4B, 5B, 6B, E, 7B, E, H, 8B, F, G; Trivedi et al., 2018Trivedi, J.N.; Trivedi, D.J.; Vachhrajani, K.D. and Ng, P.K.L. 2018. An annotated checklist of the marine brachyuran crabs (Crustacea: Decapoda: Brachyura) of India. Zootaxa, 4502: 1-83.: 59 (list).

Eurycarcinus orientalis - Alcock, 1898Alcock, A. 1898. Material for a carcinological fauna of India. No. 3: the Brachyura Cyclometopa. Part I. The family Xanthidae. Journal of Asiatic Society of Bengal, 67: 67-233.: 210, 211 (part); Chhapgar, 1957Chhapgar, B.F. 1957. On the marine crabs (Decapoda, Brachyura) of Bombay State, Part I. Journal of Bombay Natural History Society, 54: 399-439.: 436, 437, pl. 11d-f; Tirmizi et al., 1986Tirmizi, N.M.; Ghani, N. and Khan, K. 1986. Mangrove crabs of Karachi. Islamabad, Pakistan Agricultural Research Council, 51p.: 8-10, fig. 3a-d; Tirmizi and Ghani, 1996Tirmizi, N.M. and Ghani, N. 1996. Marine fauna of Pakistan: 5. Crustacea: Brachyura, Brachyrhyncha, Part 1: Xanthidae, Goneplacidae, Pinnotheridae, Ocypodidae, Grapsidae. Karachi, Center of Excellence in Marine Biology, University of Karachi, 188p.: 30-32, fig. 10; ? Hornby, 1997Hornby, R. 1997. A survey of the habitats, invertebrate fauna and environmental sensitivity of the mainland coast of the UAE, with information on status and distribution of Crustaceans. Tribulus Bulletin of Emirates Natural History Group, 7: 11-17.: 16 (part) [not Eurycarcinus orientalis A. Milne-Edwards, 1867Milne-Edwards, A. 1867. Descriptions de quelques espéces nouvelles de Crustacés Brachyures. Annales de la Société entomologique de France, 4e série, 7: 263-288.].

Litocheira (amoyensis Gordon?) - Stephensen, 1946Stephensen, K. 1946. The Brachyura of the Iranian Gulf Danish scientific investigations in Iran, Part IV. Copenhagen, E. Munksgaard, p. 57-237.: 169-171, fig. 46; Titgen, 1982Titgen, R.H. 1982. The systematics and ecology of the Decapods of Dubai, and their zoogeographic relationships to the Arabian Gulf and the Western Indian Ocean. College Station, Texas A & M University, PhD thesis, 269 p. [Unpublished]: 252 (list) [not Litocheira amoyensis Gordon, 1931 = Heteropilumnus amoyensis (Gordon, 1931)].

Eurycarcinus sp. (? integrifrons) - Apel and Türkay, 1992Apel, M. and Türkay, M. 1992. The intertidal crabs and hermit crabs (Crustacea: Decapoda: Brachyura and Paguridea) in the study area and their condition after the oil spill. Final report for phase I CEC-Project: establishment of a Marine Habitat and Wildlife Sanctuary for the Gulf Region, p 187-205.: 194-195, 204-205.

Eurycarcinus bengalensisDeb, 1999Deb, M. 1999. Crustacea: Decapoda: crabs. p. 345-403. In: Director ZSI, Kolkata (ed), Fauna of west Bengal. State Fauna Series, 3. Kolkata, Zoological Survey of India , (part 10) (dated as 1998).: 376 (part).

Type locality. Unknown, probably India (cf. Naderloo 2017Naderloo, R. 2017. Atlas of crabs of the Persian Gulf. Cham, Springer, 440p.).

Material examined. 5 males (CW 13.2-28.2 mm, CL 9.66- 9.9 mm), 5 females (CW 11.3-25.2 mm, CL 18.6-8.14 mm), LFSc.ZRC-63, Lakhpat (23˚50’01"N 68˚46’26”E), Gujarat State, India, 27 March, 2015, coll. J. Trivedi; 2 ovigerous females (CW 13.9 mm, CL 10.4 mm; CW 21.3 mm, CL 15.3 mm), ZSI-C3349/2 (part), Chamta Block, Sunderbans Tiger Reserve, West Bengal State, India (paratypes of Eurycarcinus bengalensisDeb, 1999Deb, M. 1999. Crustacea: Decapoda: crabs. p. 345-403. In: Director ZSI, Kolkata (ed), Fauna of west Bengal. State Fauna Series, 3. Kolkata, Zoological Survey of India , (part 10) (dated as 1998).).

Remarks. The specimens examined in the present study agree with the description and figures of the species in Ng et al. (2018Ng, P.K.L.; Abdelsalam, K.M.; Mona, M.H. and Nour Eldeen, M.F. 2018. A synopsis of the genus Eurycarcinus A. Milne- Edwards, 1867 (Decapoda, Brachyura, Pilumnidae). Crustaceana, 91: 471-487.). Eurycarcinus integrifrons differs from E. natalensis and E. orientalis in the following characters: carapace subquadrate (Fig. 2A) (transversely ovate in E. natalensis and E. orientalis; cf. Ng et al., 2018Ng, P.K.L.; Abdelsalam, K.M.; Mona, M.H. and Nour Eldeen, M.F. 2018. A synopsis of the genus Eurycarcinus A. Milne- Edwards, 1867 (Decapoda, Brachyura, Pilumnidae). Crustaceana, 91: 471-487.: figs. 1A, B, C; 6A, B); frontal margin weakly bilobed (Fig. 2B) (distinctly bilobed in E. natalensis and E. orientalis; cf. Ng et al., 2018Ng, P.K.L.; Abdelsalam, K.M.; Mona, M.H. and Nour Eldeen, M.F. 2018. A synopsis of the genus Eurycarcinus A. Milne- Edwards, 1867 (Decapoda, Brachyura, Pilumnidae). Crustaceana, 91: 471-487.: figs. 1A-C; 6A, B).

The species is so far reliably reported from Gulf of Aden, Persian Gulf, Gulf of Oman, and Pakistan (Naderloo, 2017Naderloo, R. 2017. Atlas of crabs of the Persian Gulf. Cham, Springer, 440p.; Ng et al., 2018Ng, P.K.L.; Abdelsalam, K.M.; Mona, M.H. and Nour Eldeen, M.F. 2018. A synopsis of the genus Eurycarcinus A. Milne- Edwards, 1867 (Decapoda, Brachyura, Pilumnidae). Crustaceana, 91: 471-487.). The present study is actually the first confirmed record of the species from India, even though Naderloo (2017Naderloo, R. 2017. Atlas of crabs of the Persian Gulf. Cham, Springer, 440p.) suggested that the type may have originally been from there. The specimens from Gujarat (Kolak and Umarsadi) and Maharastra (Mumbai) (recorded as E. orientalis) in Chhapgar (1957Chhapgar, B.F. 1957. On the marine crabs (Decapoda, Brachyura) of Bombay State, Part I. Journal of Bombay Natural History Society, 54: 399-439.) should be referred to E. integrifrons; his figures leave no doubt. These records of Chhapgar (1957Chhapgar, B.F. 1957. On the marine crabs (Decapoda, Brachyura) of Bombay State, Part I. Journal of Bombay Natural History Society, 54: 399-439.) thus extend the known range of E. integrifrons nearly 900 kilometers further south along the coast of western India. The two ovigerous female paratypes of E. bengalensisDeb, 1999Deb, M. 1999. Crustacea: Decapoda: crabs. p. 345-403. In: Director ZSI, Kolkata (ed), Fauna of west Bengal. State Fauna Series, 3. Kolkata, Zoological Survey of India , (part 10) (dated as 1998)., are here also re-identified as E. integrifrons, extending the range of this species to West Bengal state (see remarks for next species).

Eurycarcinus bengalensis Deb, 1999Deb, M. 1999. Crustacea: Decapoda: crabs. p. 345-403. In: Director ZSI, Kolkata (ed), Fauna of west Bengal. State Fauna Series, 3. Kolkata, Zoological Survey of India , (part 10) (dated as 1998).

(Figs. 3, 4, 9G-I)

Eurycarcinus bengalensisDeb, 1999Deb, M. 1999. Crustacea: Decapoda: crabs. p. 345-403. In: Director ZSI, Kolkata (ed), Fauna of west Bengal. State Fauna Series, 3. Kolkata, Zoological Survey of India , (part 10) (dated as 1998).: 376 (part), fig. 2.

Heteropanope bengalensis - Ng et al., 2018Ng, P.K.L.; Abdelsalam, K.M.; Mona, M.H. and Nour Eldeen, M.F. 2018. A synopsis of the genus Eurycarcinus A. Milne- Edwards, 1867 (Decapoda, Brachyura, Pilumnidae). Crustaceana, 91: 471-487.: 474; Trivedi et al., 2018Trivedi, J.N.; Trivedi, D.J.; Vachhrajani, K.D. and Ng, P.K.L. 2018. An annotated checklist of the marine brachyuran crabs (Crustacea: Decapoda: Brachyura) of India. Zootaxa, 4502: 1-83.: 59.

Material examined. Holotype, male (CW 25.1 mm; CL 16.9 mm), ZSI-C3349/2, Chamta Block, Sunderbans Tiger Reserve, West Bengal State, India, coll. S. Bhuinya. Paratypes, 2 males (CW 11.5 mm; CL 7.8 mm, CW 11.7 mm; CL 8.6 mm), data as per holotype.

Remarks.Deb (1999Deb, M. 1999. Crustacea: Decapoda: crabs. p. 345-403. In: Director ZSI, Kolkata (ed), Fauna of west Bengal. State Fauna Series, 3. Kolkata, Zoological Survey of India , (part 10) (dated as 1998).) described E. bengalensis on the basis of a holotype and an unspecified number of specimens collected from Sundarbans Tiger Reserve, West Bengal state, India. Ng et al. (2018Ng, P.K.L.; Abdelsalam, K.M.; Mona, M.H. and Nour Eldeen, M.F. 2018. A synopsis of the genus Eurycarcinus A. Milne- Edwards, 1867 (Decapoda, Brachyura, Pilumnidae). Crustaceana, 91: 471-487.) provisionally transferred this species to Heteropanope on the basis of the figure and description of the type specimen given in Deb (1999Deb, M. 1999. Crustacea: Decapoda: crabs. p. 345-403. In: Director ZSI, Kolkata (ed), Fauna of west Bengal. State Fauna Series, 3. Kolkata, Zoological Survey of India , (part 10) (dated as 1998).). In the present study, the type specimens of the species were examined and identified as Eurycarcinus because the thoracic sternite 8 of the specimen remains exposed when the male pleon is closed (Fig. 3E) and pleonal somite 3 is relatively wider, with the lateral margin projecting (Fig. 3C), which are characteristics of Eurycarcinus.

The type series of E. bengalensis is mixed. Of the five specimens, the two paratype males agree well with the holotype male in most aspects and are clearly conspecific. The two ovigerous females (CW 13.9 mm, CL 10.4 mm; CW 21.3 mm, CL 15.3 mm), however, belong to E. integrifrons instead. The carapace shape and features (Fig. 4) are clearly of this species.

Eurycarcinus bengalensis s. str. is similar to E. integrifrons in the following characters: the carapace is not prominently swollen and high in frontal view (Figs. 2A, 3A, 4A), the frontal margin is weakly bilobed (Figs. 2B, 3B, 4B), there are distinct clumps of short setae between the first to third anterolateral teeth (Figs. 2A, 3A, 4A), the supraorbital margin is smooth without granules, the sub-orbital and pterygostomial regions are smooth and glabrous with dense setae only along the sutures (Figs. 2B, 3B, 4B), and the posterior margin of the epistome has the median lobe truncate, protruding anteriorly and separated from lateral margin by distinct rounded angle (Figs. 2B, 3B, 4B). Eurycarcinus bengalensis, however, differs from E. integrifrons in several characters that cannot be explained by variation: the carapace of E. bengalensis is proportionately wider (Figs. 3A, 4A) (more quadrate in E. integrifrons; Fig. 2A); the anterolateral teeth are lobiform and wide, separated from each other by a fissure (Figs. 3A, 4A) (more narrow dentiform anterolateral margin with the teeth separated by a U-shaped hiatus in E. integrifrons; Fig 2A); the male chela is proportionately shorter (Fig. 3D) (more elongate in E. integrifrons; Fig 2D); male pleonal somite 6 is distinctly trapezoidal in shape (Fig. 3C) (less so in E. integrifrons; Fig. 2C); male pleonal somites 1-3 are proportionately less broad (Fig. 3E) (proportionately wider in E. integrifrons; Fig. 2E); and the distal part of the G1 is relatively shorter with the tip gently upcurved (Fig. 9G, H) (G1 distal part relatively longer with the tip almost straight or gently curved downwards in E. integrifrons; Fig. 9D, E).

The relative width of the carapace and proportions of male pleonal somites 1-3 of E. bengalensis (Figs. 3A, 4A, 3E) are actually closer to the condition in E. orientalis (Figs. 1A, E) but the other characters (notably carapace shape, anterolateral armature, posterior margin of the epistome, male pleon shape and G1) do not match.

The characters possessed by E. bengalensis are interesting. While its carapace closely resembles species of Heteropanope as indicated by Ng et al. (2018Ng, P.K.L.; Abdelsalam, K.M.; Mona, M.H. and Nour Eldeen, M.F. 2018. A synopsis of the genus Eurycarcinus A. Milne- Edwards, 1867 (Decapoda, Brachyura, Pilumnidae). Crustaceana, 91: 471-487.), the male sternal and pleonal characters are those of Eurycarcinus. It is possible that some, if not all the records of “Eurycarcinus natalensis” and “Eurycarcinus orientalis” from the eastern Indian Ocean (e.g., Dev Roy, 2008Dev Roy, M.K. and Bhadra, S. 2008. Marine and estuarine crabs (Crustacea: Decapoda: Brachyura). p. 109-154. In: Director ZSI, Kolkata (ed), Fauna of Goa State Fauna Series, 16. Kolkata, Zoological Survey of India . ; Rath and Dev Roy, 2009Rath, S. and Dev Roy, M.K. 2009. Brachyuran crabs (Crustacea: Decapoda: Brachyura). p. 43–81. In: Director ZSI, Kolkata (ed.) Estuarine Ecosystem Series 5: Fauna of Krishna Estuary, Zoological Survey of India, Kolkata, 2008.; see under E. orientalis) actually belong to E. bengalensis instead. The material will need to be examined.

Genus Pilumnopeus A. Milne-Edwards, 1867Milne-Edwards, A. 1867. Descriptions de quelques espéces nouvelles de Crustacés Brachyures. Annales de la Société entomologique de France, 4e série, 7: 263-288.

Pilumnopeus convexus ( Maccagno, 1936Maccagno, T. 1936. Crostacei di Assab: Decapodi Stomatopodi Anfipodi. Spedizione del Barone Raimondo Franchetti in Dancalia (1928-29). Annali del Museo Civico di Storia Naturale di Genova, 59: 171-186. )

(Figs. 5, 10A-C)

Heteropanope convexaMaccagno, 1936Maccagno, T. 1936. Crostacei di Assab: Decapodi Stomatopodi Anfipodi. Spedizione del Barone Raimondo Franchetti in Dancalia (1928-29). Annali del Museo Civico di Storia Naturale di Genova, 59: 171-186.: 176, 177.

Pilumnopeus salomonensis Ward, 1942: 96, pl. 6 fig. 11; Davie, 1989Davie, P.J.F. 1989. A re-appraisal of Heteropanope Stimpson, and Pilumnopeus A. Milne Edwards (Crustacea: Decapoda: Pilumnidae) with description of new species and genera. Memoirs of the Queensland Museum, 27: 129-156.: 143; Ng et al., 2008Ng, P.K.L.; Guinot, D. and Davie, P.J.F. 2008. Systema Brachyurorum, part I. An annotated checklist of extant brachyuran crabs of the world. Raffles Bulletin of Zoology, Supplement 17: 1-286.: 141 (list).

Pilumnopeus vauquelini - Stephensen, 1946Stephensen, K. 1946. The Brachyura of the Iranian Gulf Danish scientific investigations in Iran, Part IV. Copenhagen, E. Munksgaard, p. 57-237.: 141, fig 35a, b; Guinot, 1967Guinot, D. 1967. La faune carcinologique (Crustacea Brachyura) de l’OcéanIndien occidentalet de la Mer Rouge. Catalogue, remarques biogéographiques et bibliographie. Mémoires del’Institut Fondamentald’Afrique Noire, 77: 237-352.: 275; Basson et al., 1977Basson, P.W.; Burchard, J.E.; Hardy, J.T. and Price, A.R.G. 1977. Biotopes of the Western Arabian Gulf: Marine life and environments of Saudi Arabia. Dhahran, ARAMCO, Department of Loss Prevention and Environmental Affairs, p. 1-289.: 228, 231; Titgen, 1982Titgen, R.H. 1982. The systematics and ecology of the Decapods of Dubai, and their zoogeographic relationships to the Arabian Gulf and the Western Indian Ocean. College Station, Texas A & M University, PhD thesis, 269 p. [Unpublished]: 252 (list); Hornby, 1997Hornby, R. 1997. A survey of the habitats, invertebrate fauna and environmental sensitivity of the mainland coast of the UAE, with information on status and distribution of Crustaceans. Tribulus Bulletin of Emirates Natural History Group, 7: 11-17.: 15; Naderloo and Türkay, 2012Naderloo, R. and Türkay, M. 2012. Decapod crustaceans of the littoral and shallow sublittoral Iranian coast of the Persian Gulf: faunistics, biodiversity and zoogeography. Zootaxa, 3374: 1-67.: 37 [not Pilumnus vauquelini Audouin, 1826 = Pilumnopeus vauquelini (Audouin, 1826)].

Pilumnopeus indica - Barnard, 1955: 30, fig. 12 [not Heteropanope indica De Man, 1887Man, J.G. de 1887. Report on the Podophthalmous Crustacea of the Mergui Archipelago, collected for the Trustees of the Indian Museum, Calcutta, by Dr. John Anderson, F.R.S., Superintendent of the Museum. - Part II. Journal of the Linnean Society of London (Zoology), 22(137): 65-128. = Benthopanope indica (De Man, 1887Man, J.G. de 1887. Report on the Podophthalmous Crustacea of the Mergui Archipelago, collected for the Trustees of the Indian Museum, Calcutta, by Dr. John Anderson, F.R.S., Superintendent of the Museum. - Part II. Journal of the Linnean Society of London (Zoology), 22(137): 65-128.)].

Pilumnopeus convexa - Davie, 1989Davie, P.J.F. 1989. A re-appraisal of Heteropanope Stimpson, and Pilumnopeus A. Milne Edwards (Crustacea: Decapoda: Pilumnidae) with description of new species and genera. Memoirs of the Queensland Museum, 27: 129-156.: 142, 143, fig. 7A-C.

Pilumnopeus convexus - Cooper, 1997Cooper, R.T. 1997. Mangal-associated Brachyura (Ocypodidae, Grapsidae, Portunidae, Majidae, Xanthidae and Leucosiidae) from the north-eastern coastal Islands of Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. Crustaceana, 70: 155-179.: 171-173, figs. 6, 16; Apel, 2001Apel, M. 2001. Taxonomie und Zoogeographie der Brachyura, Paguridea und Porcellanidae (Crustacea: Decapoda) des Persisch-Arabischen Golfes. Frankfurt am Main, Germany, Johann Wolfgang Goethe Universität, Biologie und Informatik, Doctoral dissertation, 260p. [Unpublished] : 98; Ng et al., 2008Ng, P.K.L.; Guinot, D. and Davie, P.J.F. 2008. Systema Brachyurorum, part I. An annotated checklist of extant brachyuran crabs of the world. Raffles Bulletin of Zoology, Supplement 17: 1-286.: 141 (list); Naderloo and Türkay, 2012Naderloo, R. and Türkay, M. 2012. Decapod crustaceans of the littoral and shallow sublittoral Iranian coast of the Persian Gulf: faunistics, biodiversity and zoogeography. Zootaxa, 3374: 1-67.: 37; Ghory et al., 2013Ghory, F.; Ng, P.K.L. and Kazmi, Q.B. 2013. On the identities of Pilumnopeus convexus Maccagno, 1936, and P. salomonensis Ward, 1942, from the Indian Ocean, with a note on P. riui Takeda, 2001 (Decapoda, Brachyura, Pilumnidae). Crustaceana, 86: 301-312.: 301-312, figs. 1-5; Naderloo et al., 2013Naderloo, R.; Türkay, M. and Sari, A. 2013. Intertidal habitats and decapod (Crustacea) diversity of Qeshm Island, a biodiversity hotspot within the Persian Gulf. Marine Biodiversity, 43: 445-462.: 449, tab. 1; Gosavi et al., 2017Gosavi, S.S.; Trivedi, J.N.; Trivedi, D.J. and Vachhrajani, K.D. 2017. First record of Pilumnopeus convexus (Maccagno, 1936) (Crustacea, Decapoda, Pilumnidae) from the Indian coast. Check List, 13: 429-433.: 429-433, figs. 2-7; Naderloo, 2017Naderloo, R. 2017. Atlas of crabs of the Persian Gulf. Cham, Springer, 440p.: 311, figs. 26.21, 26.22a, 26.23.

Type locality. Ethiopia.

Material examined. 1 male (CW 15.3 mm; CL 11.3 mm), 2 females (CW 11.9 mm; CL 8.4 mm; CW 12.8 mm; CL 8.6 mm), LFSc.ZRC-70, Kuda (21˚37’33"N 72˚18’17”E), Gujarat State, India, 12 October, 2016, coll. J. Trivedi: 1 male (CW 9.6 mm; CL 6.4 mm), 1 female (CW 5.9 mm; CL 4.3 mm), ZRC 2012Trivedi, J.N.; Gadhavi, M.K. and Vachhrajani, K.D. 2012. Diversity and habitat preference of brachyuran crabs in Gulf of Kutch, Gujarat, India. Arthropods, 1: 13-23..0422, Somar Goth, Pakistan, 26 January 2009, coll. F. Ghory; 1 female (CW 8.7 mm; CL 5.9 mm) ZRC 2018.0067, Buleii, Pakistan, 4 March 1986, coll. Q. Kazmi; 1 female (CW 14.4 mm; CL9.8 mm) (paralectotype of Pilumnopeus salomonensis Ward, 1942), ZRC 2012.0794, Salomón Islands, Chagos Archipelago, 1936, coll. R. Viader and G. Antelme; 2 males (CW 9.0 mm; CL 6.3 mm; CW 8.0 mm; CL 5.6 mm) ZRC 2018.1364, Persian Gulf, Iran, May 2010, coll. M. Safaei.

Remarks. The specimens examined (Figs. 5, 10A-C) in the present study compared well with the description and figures in Ghory et al. (2013Ghory, F.; Ng, P.K.L. and Kazmi, Q.B. 2013. On the identities of Pilumnopeus convexus Maccagno, 1936, and P. salomonensis Ward, 1942, from the Indian Ocean, with a note on P. riui Takeda, 2001 (Decapoda, Brachyura, Pilumnidae). Crustaceana, 86: 301-312.). Pilumnopeus convexus is close to P. serratifrons but varies from the latter in having a CW/CL ratio of 1.4 to 1.5 and a less projecting front with a shallow central notch (Davie, 1989Davie, P.J.F. 1989. A re-appraisal of Heteropanope Stimpson, and Pilumnopeus A. Milne Edwards (Crustacea: Decapoda: Pilumnidae) with description of new species and genera. Memoirs of the Queensland Museum, 27: 129-156.). The specimens were collected (Figs. 6, 11D-F) from Ekkakula mangroves located in Odisha State.

The species is so far reported from South Africa, Red Sea, Gulf of Aden, Persian Gulf, and Gulf of Oman (Naderloo, 2017Naderloo, R. 2017. Atlas of crabs of the Persian Gulf. Cham, Springer, 440p.). In India, the species was recorded from Gujarat (Gosavi et al., 2017Gosavi, S.S.; Trivedi, J.N.; Trivedi, D.J. and Vachhrajani, K.D. 2017. First record of Pilumnopeus convexus (Maccagno, 1936) (Crustacea, Decapoda, Pilumnidae) from the Indian coast. Check List, 13: 429-433.) located on the west coast of India.

Genus Heteropanope Stimpson, 1858Stimpson, W. 1858. Prodromus descriptionis animalium evertebratorum, quae in expeditione ad Oceanum Pacificum Septentrionalem, a Republica Federatamissa, C. Ringoold et J. Rogers ducibus, observavit et descripsit. Pars IV. Crustacea Cancroidea et Corystoidea. Proceedings of the Academy of Natural Science of Philadelphia, 10: 31-40.

Heteropanope glabra Stimpson, 1858Stimpson, W. 1858. Prodromus descriptionis animalium evertebratorum, quae in expeditione ad Oceanum Pacificum Septentrionalem, a Republica Federatamissa, C. Ringoold et J. Rogers ducibus, observavit et descripsit. Pars IV. Crustacea Cancroidea et Corystoidea. Proceedings of the Academy of Natural Science of Philadelphia, 10: 31-40.

(Figs. 6, 10D-F)

Heteropanope glabraStimpson, 1858Stimpson, W. 1858. Prodromus descriptionis animalium evertebratorum, quae in expeditione ad Oceanum Pacificum Septentrionalem, a Republica Federatamissa, C. Ringoold et J. Rogers ducibus, observavit et descripsit. Pars IV. Crustacea Cancroidea et Corystoidea. Proceedings of the Academy of Natural Science of Philadelphia, 10: 31-40.: 35.

Eurycarcinus maculatusAlcock, 1898Alcock, A. 1898. Material for a carcinological fauna of India. No. 3: the Brachyura Cyclometopa. Part I. The family Xanthidae. Journal of Asiatic Society of Bengal, 67: 67-233.: 212; Deb, 1999Deb, M. 1999. Crustacea: Decapoda: crabs. p. 345-403. In: Director ZSI, Kolkata (ed), Fauna of west Bengal. State Fauna Series, 3. Kolkata, Zoological Survey of India , (part 10) (dated as 1998).: 375.

Heteropanope glabra - Davie, 1989Davie, P.J.F. 1989. A re-appraisal of Heteropanope Stimpson, and Pilumnopeus A. Milne Edwards (Crustacea: Decapoda: Pilumnidae) with description of new species and genera. Memoirs of the Queensland Museum, 27: 129-156.: 130-134, figs.1a-j, 2; Tan and Ng, 1994Tan, C.G.S. and Ng, P.K.L. 1994. An annotated checklist of mangrove brachyuran crabs in Malaysia and Singapore. Hydrobiologia, 285: 75-84.: 84 (list); Ng et al., 2008Ng, P.K.L. and Clark, P.F. 2008. A revision of Latopilumnus Türkay & Schuhmacher, 1985, and Aniptumnus Ng, 2002 (Crustacea: Decapoda: Brachyura: Pilumnidae) with larval comparisons. Journal of Natural History, 42: 885-912.: 140 (list); Naderloo and Türkay, 2012Naderloo, R. and Türkay, M. 2012. Decapod crustaceans of the littoral and shallow sublittoral Iranian coast of the Persian Gulf: faunistics, biodiversity and zoogeography. Zootaxa, 3374: 1-67.: 37; Naderloo et al., 2013Naderloo, R.; Türkay, M. and Sari, A. 2013. Intertidal habitats and decapod (Crustacea) diversity of Qeshm Island, a biodiversity hotspot within the Persian Gulf. Marine Biodiversity, 43: 445-462.: 449, tab. 1; Trivedi et al., 2015Trivedi, J.N.; Soni, G.M. and Vachhrajani, K.D. 2015. First record of brachyuran crab Heteropanope glabra Stimpson, 1858 (Crustacea, Decapoda, Pilumnidae) from India. Marine Biodiversity Records, 8: 1-5.: 1-5, figs. 1, 2; Naderloo, 2017Naderloo, R.; Türkay, M. and Sari, A. 2013. Intertidal habitats and decapod (Crustacea) diversity of Qeshm Island, a biodiversity hotspot within the Persian Gulf. Marine Biodiversity, 43: 445-462.: 307, figs. 26.10d, 26.15, 26.16; Trivedi et al., 2018Trivedi, J.N.; Trivedi, D.J.; Vachhrajani, K.D. and Ng, P.K.L. 2018. An annotated checklist of the marine brachyuran crabs (Crustacea: Decapoda: Brachyura) of India. Zootaxa, 4502: 1-83.: 59 (list). [For complete synonymy see Davie, 1989Davie, P.J.F. 1989. A re-appraisal of Heteropanope Stimpson, and Pilumnopeus A. Milne Edwards (Crustacea: Decapoda: Pilumnidae) with description of new species and genera. Memoirs of the Queensland Museum, 27: 129-156.: 130; Sakai, 1976Sakai, T. 1976. Crabs of Japan and the Adjacent Seas. In three volumes: English text, pp. xxix+773 pp., Japanese text, p. 1-461, plates volume, p. 1-16, pls. 1-251. Tokyo, Kodansha Ltd.: 503; Dai and Yang, 1991Dai, A.-Y. and Yang, S.-L. 1991. Crabs of the China Seas. Beijing and Springer-Verlag, Berlin, China Ocean Press, p. 21-608, figs. 1-295, pls. 1-74.: 377].

Type locality. Hong Kong.

Material examined. 4 males (CW 14.4-6.0 mm: CL 10.1-4.0 mm), 6 females (CW 12.3-7.2 mm: CL 8.3-5.4 mm), LFSc.ZRC-66, Ghogha (21°40’41"N 72°17’06”E), Gujarat State, India, 14 April, 2014, coll. J. Trivedi.

Remarks. The specimens examined in the present study (Fig. 6) agree with the description and figures in Davie (1989Davie, P.J.F. 1989. A re-appraisal of Heteropanope Stimpson, and Pilumnopeus A. Milne Edwards (Crustacea: Decapoda: Pilumnidae) with description of new species and genera. Memoirs of the Queensland Museum, 27: 129-156.). The G1 tip (Fig. 10D, E) is slightly longer compared to that figured in Davie (1989Davie, P.J.F. 1989. A re-appraisal of Heteropanope Stimpson, and Pilumnopeus A. Milne Edwards (Crustacea: Decapoda: Pilumnidae) with description of new species and genera. Memoirs of the Queensland Museum, 27: 129-156.). This difference can easily be explained by the size of the present specimens.

This species is so far reported from East Africa, Persian Gulf, Gulf of Oman, Pakistan, India, Andaman Sea, Thailand, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Mergui Archipelago, Singapore, Australia, and New Caledonia (Sakai, 1976Sakai, T. 1976. Crabs of Japan and the Adjacent Seas. In three volumes: English text, pp. xxix+773 pp., Japanese text, p. 1-461, plates volume, p. 1-16, pls. 1-251. Tokyo, Kodansha Ltd.;Davie, 1989Davie, P.J.F. 1989. A re-appraisal of Heteropanope Stimpson, and Pilumnopeus A. Milne Edwards (Crustacea: Decapoda: Pilumnidae) with description of new species and genera. Memoirs of the Queensland Museum, 27: 129-156.; Dai and Yang, 1991Dai, A.-Y. and Yang, S.-L. 1991. Crabs of the China Seas. Beijing and Springer-Verlag, Berlin, China Ocean Press, p. 21-608, figs. 1-295, pls. 1-74.; Trivedi et al., 2015Trivedi, J.N.; Soni, G.M. and Vachhrajani, K.D. 2015. First record of brachyuran crab Heteropanope glabra Stimpson, 1858 (Crustacea, Decapoda, Pilumnidae) from India. Marine Biodiversity Records, 8: 1-5.; Naderloo, 2017Naderloo, R. 2017. Atlas of crabs of the Persian Gulf. Cham, Springer, 440p.).

Genus Aniptumnus Ng, 2002Ng, P.K.L. 2002. On the identity of Pilumnus cristimanus A. Milne Edwards, 1873, and the status of Parapilumnus Kossman, 1877 (Crustacea: Decapoda: Brachyura), with description of a new species from rubble beds in Guam. Micronesia, 34: 209-226.

Aniptumnus quadridentatus (De Man, 1895Man, J.G. de 1895. Berichtüber die von Herrn Schiffscapitän Storm zu Atjeh, an den westlichen Küsten von Malakka, Borneo und Celebes sowie in der Java-See gesammelten Decapoden und Stomatopoden. Zoologische Jahrbücher, Abteilungfür Systematik, Geographie und Biologie der Thiere, 8: 485-609. )

(Figs. 7, 8, 10G-I)

Pilumnus seminudus - De Man, 1887Man, J.G. de 1887. Report on the Podophthalmous Crustacea of the Mergui Archipelago, collected for the Trustees of the Indian Museum, Calcutta, by Dr. John Anderson, F.R.S., Superintendent of the Museum. - Part II. Journal of the Linnean Society of London (Zoology), 22(137): 65-128.: 65 [not Pilumnus seminudus Miers, 1884 = Glabropilumnus seminudus (Miers, 1884)].

Pilumnus quadridentatus De Man, 1895Man, J.G. de 1895. Berichtüber die von Herrn Schiffscapitän Storm zu Atjeh, an den westlichen Küsten von Malakka, Borneo und Celebes sowie in der Java-See gesammelten Decapoden und Stomatopoden. Zoologische Jahrbücher, Abteilungfür Systematik, Geographie und Biologie der Thiere, 8: 485-609.: 537, fig. 6; Nobili, 1906Nobili, G. 1906. Faune carcinologique de la Mer Rouge. Décapodes et Stomatopodes. Annales des Sciences Naturelles, Zoologie comprenant l’Anatomie, la Physiologie, la Classification, et l’histoire naturelle des Animaux, Series 9, 4: 1-347: 278.

Parapilumnus quadridentatusBalss, 1933Balss, H. 1933. Beiträge zur Kenntnis der Gattung Pilumnus (Crustacea, Dekapoda) und verwandter Gattungen. Capita Zoologica, 4(3): 1-47.: 39 (list); Tan and Ng, 1994Tan, C.G.S. and Ng, P.K.L. 1994. An annotated checklist of mangrove brachyuran crabs in Malaysia and Singapore. Hydrobiologia, 285: 75-84.: 84 (list).

Heteropanope neolaevisDeb, 1995Deb, M. 1995. Crustacea: Xanthidae. p. 217-228. In: A. K. Ghosh (ed), Hugli Matla estuary west Bengal. Estuarine Ecosystem Series, 2. Kolkata, Zoological Survey of India.: 220; 1999: 374, figs. 3, 4; Ng et al., 2018Ng, P.K.L.; Abdelsalam, K.M.; Mona, M.H. and Nour Eldeen, M.F. 2018. A synopsis of the genus Eurycarcinus A. Milne- Edwards, 1867 (Decapoda, Brachyura, Pilumnidae). Crustaceana, 91: 471-487.: 475, 481-482; Trivedi et al., 2018Trivedi, J.N.; Trivedi, D.J.; Vachhrajani, K.D. and Ng, P.K.L. 2018. An annotated checklist of the marine brachyuran crabs (Crustacea: Decapoda: Brachyura) of India. Zootaxa, 4502: 1-83.: 59 (list).

Aniptumnus quadridentatus - Ng, 2002Ng, P.K.L. 2002. On the identity of Pilumnus cristimanus A. Milne Edwards, 1873, and the status of Parapilumnus Kossman, 1877 (Crustacea: Decapoda: Brachyura), with description of a new species from rubble beds in Guam. Micronesia, 34: 209-226.: 213, figs. 1, 2; Ng and Clark, 2008Ng, P.K.L. and Clark, P.F. 2008. A revision of Latopilumnus Türkay & Schuhmacher, 1985, and Aniptumnus Ng, 2002 (Crustacea: Decapoda: Brachyura: Pilumnidae) with larval comparisons. Journal of Natural History, 42: 885-912.: figs. 13-18; Ng et al., 2008Ng, P.K.L.; Guinot, D. and Davie, P.J.F. 2008. Systema Brachyurorum, part I. An annotated checklist of extant brachyuran crabs of the world. Raffles Bulletin of Zoology, Supplement 17: 1-286.: 140 (list).

Type locality. Pontianak, West Kalimantan, Indonesia.

Material examined. Lectotype, male (CW 13.9 mm; CL 9.6 mm), ZSI-C1503/2, Matla River, Gangetic Delta, West Bengal State, India, December 1916, coll. S.W. Kemp. Paralectotypes, 4 males (CW 8.0-9.3 mm; CL 5.8-6.5 mm), same data as holotype.

Remarks.Ng et al. (2018Ng, P.K.L.; Abdelsalam, K.M.; Mona, M.H. and Nour Eldeen, M.F. 2018. A synopsis of the genus Eurycarcinus A. Milne- Edwards, 1867 (Decapoda, Brachyura, Pilumnidae). Crustaceana, 91: 471-487.: 481-482) clarified the date of publication for Heteropanope neolaevis, noting that the correct spelling of the name and citation should be Heteropanope neolaevisDeb, 1995Deb, M. 1995. Crustacea: Xanthidae. p. 217-228. In: A. K. Ghosh (ed), Hugli Matla estuary west Bengal. Estuarine Ecosystem Series, 2. Kolkata, Zoological Survey of India.

Deb (1995Deb, M. 1995. Crustacea: Xanthidae. p. 217-228. In: A. K. Ghosh (ed), Hugli Matla estuary west Bengal. Estuarine Ecosystem Series, 2. Kolkata, Zoological Survey of India.: 220) listed “50 examples” of this species (as H. neolaevis) from an estuarine area in the Matla River, Gangetic Delta, West Bengal State, India, and no types were designated. Deb (1999Deb, M. 1999. Crustacea: Decapoda: crabs. p. 345-403. In: Director ZSI, Kolkata (ed), Fauna of west Bengal. State Fauna Series, 3. Kolkata, Zoological Survey of India , (part 10) (dated as 1998).: 374) noted that she had “Several (about 50) specimens including holotype and paratypes from Gangetic delta, collected by S. W. Kemp, Z.S.I. Regd. No. C1503/2”. She did not specify the sex or size of the holotype. In the ZSI, there is one male specimen labeled as holotype which has the same data as indicated by Deb (1999Deb, M. 1999. Crustacea: Decapoda: crabs. p. 345-403. In: Director ZSI, Kolkata (ed), Fauna of west Bengal. State Fauna Series, 3. Kolkata, Zoological Survey of India , (part 10) (dated as 1998).) and is here recognized as the lectotype since no holotype was noted in the original paper (Deb, 1995Deb, M. 1995. Crustacea: Xanthidae. p. 217-228. In: A. K. Ghosh (ed), Hugli Matla estuary west Bengal. Estuarine Ecosystem Series, 2. Kolkata, Zoological Survey of India.).

Ng et al. (2018Ng, P.K.L.; Abdelsalam, K.M.; Mona, M.H. and Nour Eldeen, M.F. 2018. A synopsis of the genus Eurycarcinus A. Milne- Edwards, 1867 (Decapoda, Brachyura, Pilumnidae). Crustaceana, 91: 471-487.: 475) commented that the species is neither Heteropanope nor Pilumnopeus or Benthopanope, and the G1 figured (Deb, 1999Deb, M. 1999. Crustacea: Decapoda: crabs. p. 345-403. In: Director ZSI, Kolkata (ed), Fauna of west Bengal. State Fauna Series, 3. Kolkata, Zoological Survey of India , (part 10) (dated as 1998).: fig. 4) was unusual, being short and stout with the tip rounded. The lectotype and paralectotypes of H. neolaevis were examined and the Heteropanope neolaevis of Deb is here identified as Aniptumnus quadridentatus (De Man 1895Man, J.G. de 1895. Berichtüber die von Herrn Schiffscapitän Storm zu Atjeh, an den westlichen Küsten von Malakka, Borneo und Celebes sowie in der Java-See gesammelten Decapoden und Stomatopoden. Zoologische Jahrbücher, Abteilungfür Systematik, Geographie und Biologie der Thiere, 8: 485-609.). De Man (1895Man, J.G. de 1895. Berichtüber die von Herrn Schiffscapitän Storm zu Atjeh, an den westlichen Küsten von Malakka, Borneo und Celebes sowie in der Java-See gesammelten Decapoden und Stomatopoden. Zoologische Jahrbücher, Abteilungfür Systematik, Geographie und Biologie der Thiere, 8: 485-609.) described Pilumnus quadridentatus from a good series of specimens from the port of Pontianak, West Borneo, Indonesia. He also referred a specimen earlier obtained from Mergui (De Man, 1887Man, J.G. de 1887. Report on the Podophthalmous Crustacea of the Mergui Archipelago, collected for the Trustees of the Indian Museum, Calcutta, by Dr. John Anderson, F.R.S., Superintendent of the Museum. - Part II. Journal of the Linnean Society of London (Zoology), 22(137): 65-128.) to this species. Nobili (1906Nobili, G. 1906. Faune carcinologique de la Mer Rouge. Décapodes et Stomatopodes. Annales des Sciences Naturelles, Zoologie comprenant l’Anatomie, la Physiologie, la Classification, et l’histoire naturelle des Animaux, Series 9, 4: 1-347) reported the species from Djibouti in the Red Sea, but his specimen should be re-examined in order to confirm its identification. Balss (1933Balss, H. 1933. Beiträge zur Kenntnis der Gattung Pilumnus (Crustacea, Dekapoda) und verwandter Gattungen. Capita Zoologica, 4(3): 1-47.) first referred it to ParapilumnusDe Man, 1895Man, J.G. de 1895. Berichtüber die von Herrn Schiffscapitän Storm zu Atjeh, an den westlichen Küsten von Malakka, Borneo und Celebes sowie in der Java-See gesammelten Decapoden und Stomatopoden. Zoologische Jahrbücher, Abteilungfür Systematik, Geographie und Biologie der Thiere, 8: 485-609., but Ng (2002Ng, P.K.L. 2002. On the identity of Pilumnus cristimanus A. Milne Edwards, 1873, and the status of Parapilumnus Kossman, 1877 (Crustacea: Decapoda: Brachyura), with description of a new species from rubble beds in Guam. Micronesia, 34: 209-226.) reviewed the status of Parapilumnus and showed that this genus was actually not a pilumnid but an acidopsid. Ng (2002Ng, P.K.L. 2002. On the identity of Pilumnus cristimanus A. Milne Edwards, 1873, and the status of Parapilumnus Kossman, 1877 (Crustacea: Decapoda: Brachyura), with description of a new species from rubble beds in Guam. Micronesia, 34: 209-226.) selected a lectotype for P. quadridentatus and made it the type for a new genus, Aniptumnus, characterized by its subtruncate G1 tip, presence of sharp granules on the ventral margin of the basis-ischium and merus of the fourth ambulatory leg.

The types of H. neolaevis agree with the descriptions and figures of A. quadridentatus by De Man (1895Man, J.G. de 1895. Berichtüber die von Herrn Schiffscapitän Storm zu Atjeh, an den westlichen Küsten von Malakka, Borneo und Celebes sowie in der Java-See gesammelten Decapoden und Stomatopoden. Zoologische Jahrbücher, Abteilungfür Systematik, Geographie und Biologie der Thiere, 8: 485-609.), Ng (2002Ng, P.K.L. 2002. On the identity of Pilumnus cristimanus A. Milne Edwards, 1873, and the status of Parapilumnus Kossman, 1877 (Crustacea: Decapoda: Brachyura), with description of a new species from rubble beds in Guam. Micronesia, 34: 209-226.), and Ng and Clark (2008Ng, P.K.L. and Clark, P.F. 2008. A revision of Latopilumnus Türkay & Schuhmacher, 1985, and Aniptumnus Ng, 2002 (Crustacea: Decapoda: Brachyura: Pilumnidae) with larval comparisons. Journal of Natural History, 42: 885-912.) and are considered conspecific. The carapace, cheliped and ambulatory leg characters all agree (Figs. 7a, b, 8a). The G1 of H. neolaevis figured by Deb (1999Deb, M. 1999. Crustacea: Decapoda: crabs. p. 345-403. In: Director ZSI, Kolkata (ed), Fauna of west Bengal. State Fauna Series, 3. Kolkata, Zoological Survey of India , (part 10) (dated as 1998).: Fig. 4) is inaccurate, being much shorter and stouter in her illustration. The actual G1 closely resembles that of A. quadridentatus, except that the tip is more rounded and less produced (Fig. 10G, H), but this can easily be explained by variation. In addition, the male sternite 8 of the types of H. neolaevis are exposed when the male pleon is closed (Fig. 8D; see also Ng and Clark, 2008Ng, P.K.L. and Clark, P.F. 2008. A revision of Latopilumnus Türkay & Schuhmacher, 1985, and Aniptumnus Ng, 2002 (Crustacea: Decapoda: Brachyura: Pilumnidae) with larval comparisons. Journal of Natural History, 42: 885-912.; Hsueh et al., 2009Hsueh, P.-W.; Huang, J.-F. and Ng, P.K.L. 2009. On a new genus and new species of pilumnid crab from Taiwan, and the generic placements of Heteropanope changensis (Rathbun, 1909) and Pilumnopeus pereiodontus Davie and Ghani, 1993 (Crustacea: Decapoda: Brachyura). Journal of Natural History, 43: 323-334.).

Aniptumnus quadridentatus is a mangrove species, occurring in brackish waters. The type locality, Pontianak, is a port at the opening of the Kapuas River in Borneo and is surrounded by mangroves. In Malaysia and Singapore, the species is often found among fouling communities in mangrove and estuarine habitats. When present, it often occurs in large numbers.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

The second author (SM) is most thankful to the Director, Zoological Survey of India, Kolkata, for encouragement during this study and providing research facilities. The authors are also thankful to Ms. Dhruva Trivedi for illustrations of specimens. We are most grateful to Peter Davie and Paul Clark for their many important suggestions which have significantly improved this paper.

REFERENCES

Publication Dates

History