Vol. 110 - Part III - Zoological Survey of India

GOKUL AND VENKATARAMAN : Taxonomy and Systematics of Coral.........Biosphere Reserve 63Indo-Pacific region: Red Sea, Myanmar, Gulf ofThailand, Malyasia, Singapore, Hong Kong and Japan(Sakai, 1976).Remarks : It was recorded from the deadPocillopora coral covered with algae from KrusadaiIsland.4. Demania baccalipes (Alcock)Plate-I, Fig.-d1898. Xantho (Lophoxanthus) scaberrimus var. baccalipesAlcock, J. Asiat. Soc. Bengal, p.117.1976. Demania baccalipes Sakai, Crabs of Japan and adjacentseas, p.421.Materials : 10 Males and 6 females; the maximumCL is 2.0 cm and the minimum CL is 0.5 cm.Diagnosis : Carapace longer than broad andmoderately convex; regions and sub-regions of carapacedefined by broad, deep and smooth channels andcovered with well-defined tubercles; characteristictubercles with a worn-out appearance especially in themiddle of carapace and in the chelipeds; front 2-lobedand fronto-orbital border less than half of width ofcarapace; anterolateral border 4 lobed; chelipeds equaland covered with large depressed tubercles; 2 tuberclesat the inner angle of wrist; anterior border of walkinglegs marked with wart-like tubercles.Habitat : Found at the bottom of rocks or brokenshells, 15 to 35 m deep.Distribution : Reports on previous records of thespecies from the GoMMBR : Jeyabaskaran et al., (2000),from the Indian waters : Okha, Mumbai (Chhapgar, 1957)and Parangipettai coasts (Sethuramalingam andAjmalkhan, 1991) and from the Indo-Pacific region: SriLanka (Alcock, 1898), Malacca Strait and Japan (Sakai,1976).Remarks : It was recorded from the deadPocillopora coral covered with algae from Shingle andKrusadai Islands.5. Leptodius euglyptus AlcockPlate-I, Fig.-e1898. Xantho (Leptodius) euglyptus Alcock, J. Asiat. Soc.Bengal, 67, p.121.1927. Xantho (Leptodius) euglyptus Gravely, Bull. MadrasGovt. Mus (M.S), 1, p. 146, pls. 19-26.Materials : 60 Males and 83 females; the maximumCL is 2.0 cm and the minimum CL is 0.5 cm.Diagnosis : Carapace broader than long and convexin its two-thirds; front projecting beyond orbit;anterolateral border cut into 5 conical teeth; chelipedsunequal; upper surface of hand nodular; fingers shortand hollowed at tip; carpus and propodus of walkinglegs longitudinally ridged and grooved above; dactylusfurred; side wall of carapace, edge of upper surface ofarm of chelipeds and edge of legs hairy.Habitat : Coral reefs, mostly seen in branching coralsand sandy beaches.Distribution : Reports on previous records of thespecies from the GoMMBR : Krusadai Island (Gravely(1927) and islands in Gulf of Mannar (Jeyabaskaran etal., 2000), from the Indian waters : Okha (Chhapgar,1957) and from the Indo–Pacific region : Sri Lanka andMergui Archipelago (Alcock, 1898).Remarks : It was recorded from the deadPocillopora coral covered with algae from Shingle,Krusadai, Poomarichan, Pullivasal, Mulli, Vaalai andThalayari, Appa and Anaipar Islands.6. Leptodius exaratus (H. Milne Edwards)Plate-I, Fig.-f1834. Chlorodius exaratus H. Milne Edwards, LibrairaeEncyclopedique de Roret, p. 402.1976. Leptodius exaratus Sakai, Crabs of Japan and adjacentseas, p. 423.Materials : 63 Males and 74 females; the maximumCL is 3.5 cm and the minimum CL is 0.5 cm.Diagnosis : Carapace transversely oval, 1.5-1.6 timesbroader than long, moderately convex in anterior,almost flat in posterior part; surface smooth andglabrous with well defined regions, areolated in anterior,less in posterior third; front projecting beyond innerorbital angle, bilobed with square cut lobes havinganterior margin somewhat concave; anterolateralmargins with four teeth behind outer orbital angle;chelipeds unequal in both sexes; unarmed except forsmall acute tubercle at upper inner angle of wrist; handof larger cheliped swollen, completely smooth, tips offingers broadened and hollowed-out; walking legsstout, unarmed and smooth.Habitat : Intertidal and shallow subtidal of rockycoast and also in mangroves or soft sediment shores;not below 2-3 m deep.