Diversity and distribution of marine brachyuran crab communities inhabiting West coast of India

Abstract

Diversity and distribution of brachyuran crab fauna of five maritime states of West coast of India dealing with a total of 226 species belonging to 130 genera and 39 families have been studied and presented in this chapter. The study reveals maximum crab diversity in Kerala coasts (93 species) followed by Maharashtra (92 species), Gujarat (66 species), Karnataka (53 species) and Goa (51 species). Maximum generic diversity has been noted in Maharashtra (64), next in order is Kerala (63). Fourteen species are reported for the first time from the state of Karnataka. Eighteen species have been recorded as endemic to these states. Two families, namely, Geryonidae and Mathelidellidae, occur exclusively in the west coasts. Nineteen species which occurred in Gujarat were not found in other states in the west coasts of India, while 27 species of Maharashtra, 9 species of Goa, 10 species of Karnataka, 47 species of Kerala and 26 species of Malabar coast are also not reported in the other states of the west coast. In addition, twenty-two species described/reported from these states were not recorded during the last hundred years, which need further specific exploratory surveys in these states.