New records of Albunea carabus (Linnaeus, 1758) (Decapoda: Anomura: Hippoidea) in the Tyrrhenian Sea, with notes on its ecology and distribution in the Italian seas

Abstract

Twenty-four individuals of Albunea carabus (Linnaeus, 1758), a species rarely reported in the Mediterranean Sea, have recently been collected in the Tyrrhenian Sea (Italy) in hydraulic dredge surveys carried out to assess local razor clam stocks. They were found in sandy bottoms at depths of 1–6 m in association with the commercial bivalves Ensis minor and Chamelea gallina and the decapods Diogenes pugilator, Portumnus latipes and Liocarcinus vernalis. The distribution of the species in the Italian seas is described based on a careful search of the available records. Notes on its reproductive biology and autoecology are also included.

Keywords

• albuneidae
• albunea carabus
• mediterranean sea
• new records
• autoecology