Brachyuran crab diversity of lower estuarine mud flats of Mahi River with new record of two species from Gujarat, India

Abstract

A systematic study of brachyuran crab diversity and distribution was carried out for two years on the lower estuarine mud flats of the Mahi River, the upper Gulf of Khambhat, Gujarat. A total of 10 brachyuran crab species belonging to eight genera and eight families were identified. Study documented the distribution and habitat preference of the reported species on the intertidal area. The study records the occurance of two species Dotilla intermedia and Macrophthalmus brevis, for the first time from Gujarat. Moreover the study briefed on the habitat preference, general ethology and morphometry of new recorded species.

Keywords

• brachyuran crabs
• Dotilla intermedia
• Macrophthalmus brevis
• Mahi estuary
• Gulf of Khambhat