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Potential Ornamental Marine Brachyuran available off Chennai

Authors Abstract

S. Lakshmi Pillai1 Thirty one potential ornamental, marine brachyuran crabs belonging to Joe K. Kizhakudanand2 eleven families, namely , , , , P.Thirumilu2 , , , , , and , landed by trawlers at Chennai Fisheries Harbour are reported. Their

'Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute morphological/colour pattern, length range in the fishery and season of Ernakutam North P.O occurrence are given. Majority of these crabs are used as raw material in fish Kochi - 1 8 and poultry meal preparation. Their attractive colour and morphological Email:slakshmipiHai @ redittmail.com features make them good candidates for aquarium purpose. 2Central Marine Fisheries Research Intilute Sanlhome High Road Keyw ords: brachyuran crabs, ornamental, Chennai, carapace width. R.A. Puram Chennai - 2B

Introduction with lot of spines. Dromiidae has convex carapace and Arcaiun of Brachyuran crabs are the most the family Leucosidae is characterised diverse group among the decapod by the presence of spines on the with 6,793 and carapace with fingers longer than the subspecies recognised (Ng et al., 2008). palm. Genus D orippe of the family The fauna landed by trawlers at Dorippidae is protected by a dead shell, the Chennai Fisheries Harbour is which is held by the posterior pairs of constituted by several families namely, the legs on its back. Xanthidae Calappidae, Corystidae, Dorippidae, constitutes the most diverse and Dromiidae, Epialtidae, Galenidae, numerically abundant family among Leucosiidae, Matutidae, brachyurans. Portunidae has crabs Parthenopidae, Portunidae and mostly of commercial value like Xanthidae etc. Most of the species snnguinoleiHus, P. pelagicus, recorded from these families possess feriala, C. lucifern etc. dazzling colour pattern and distinct morphological features, making them The paper presents brachyuran good candidates for ornamental/ crabs landed at Chennai Fisheries aquarium purposes. Harbour as potential species for ornamental/aquarium purposes with Crabs are mainly categorised into photographs of each species in fresh/ anomurans - with a clearly evident original colour. tail portion and brachyurans or true crabs which lack an obvious tail. Each Material and Methods of these families has clearly distinguishing features/characters: The paper deals with the specimens family Calappidae are box-shaped recorded during June 2003-March 2008 whereas Parthenopidae usually have from the regular weekly sampling- a triangular or pentagonal carapace They were landed at the Kasimedu^ FISHING CHIMES Vol. 33 No. A I July 2013 (Chennai) fisheries harbour by Common name: Japanese box crab trawlers operating between Ongole in sporadic. Carapace is broadly oval with seven south Andhra Pradesh sharp teeth around the free margin of andNagapatinam to the south of the clypeiform expansion. Carapace Lnnridromia dehnnni (Rathbun, 1923) Chennai from a depth of 10-90 m. The and dorsal surface of chelipeds has Common name: Japanese crab crabs are identified following Sakai tubercles covered with fine, flat Carapace is longer than broad. They (1976),Galil and Clark (1994), Galil granules. Colour: pale brown, granules usually carry a piece of sponge with its last two pairs of legs. Colour: brown (1997, 2001 & 2009), Chen and Ng (1999 on carapace and chelipeds surrounded in colour with tip of claws pink. Size & 2004), Ng el al. (2000 & 2008), Wee by red-pink pigmented rings. Size range: 63-90 mm in CW. Availability: and Ng (1995) and Krishnamoorthy range: 65-80 mm in CW.Availability (2007), rare. usually during November.

Family EpialtidaeMacLeay, 1838 Results and Discussion lophos (Herbst, 1782) Doclea canalifera Stimpson, 1857 Com m on name: Com m on box crab/ Common name: Spider crab Thirty one brachyuran crabs Cockscomb crab Carapace has three spines in midline, belonging to eleven families and Carapace is dome shaped and smooth. last one being prominent and twenty one genera are listed as Colour: carapace red/brown in colour horizontally produced backwards potential marine ornamental crabs off with white lines, the chelipeds are Anterolateral border armed with four Chennai. Hence emphasis is given on white with irregular brown spots and spines, last one being largest. Colour: their spectacular colour, certain markings. Size range: 55-125 mm in dark brown in colour. Size range:28- striking patterns on their carapace and CW. Availability: October to December 31.5 mm in CW. Availability: August chelipeds, size and availability. and January to March. to October. , Portumis pelagiciis, Chan/bdis Ittcifera and Chari/bdis Calappa philargius (Linnaeus, 1758) D od ea ovis (Fabricius, 1787) feriala are excluded as they have high Common name: Spectacled box crab/ Common name: Spider crab non-ornamental commercial value. four spotted crab Carapace without spine in midline, Posterior border of carapace is armed branchial region has three short Superclass: Crustacea Pennant, 1777 with three prominent spines, one in spines on the anterolateral margin, Class: Latreille, 1806 middle and one on either side. Colour: last of which very small tuberculiform. Subclass: , Caiman, Body light brown in colour, Colour: brown.Size range: 30-38 mm 1904 characterized by distinct brown/red in CW.Availability: October to Order: DecapodaLntreille, 1803 spots two on each claw and one around November. Suborder: Burkenroad, the . Size range: 78-95 mm in 1963 CW.Availability: August. Phalmigipus hi/strix (Miers, 1886) Infraorder: BrachyuraLatreille, 1802 Common name: Long legged crab Family Corystidae Samouelle, 1819 are very slender and long FamilyCalappidae De Haan, 1833 Jonas iW/c»s(Chopra, 1935) with two rostral spines armed with Calappa calappa (Linnaeus, 1758) Common name: Masked burrowing subdistal accessory spinule. Colour; Common name: Giant box crab crab pale brown. Size range: 39-46 mm in Carapace is distinctly broader Carapace longitudinally elliptical CW. Availability: November characterised by the length being less with the rostral spines produced December. than half of its width. The smooth side anteriorly beyond the tips of preorbital expansion of the carapace covers the spines. Legs are flattended. Colour: Family GalenidaeAlcock, 1898 appendages. Colour: uniformly plain diffused with pale red and white.Size: Gakne bispinosa (Herbst, 1783) beige with wavy horizontal lines. Size 28 mm CW. Availability: rare. Common name: Square shelled crab Carapace is pentagonal, smooth, range: 93-121 mm in carapace width anterolateral border indistinctly four (CW). Availability: February. Family DorippdiaeMacIeay, 1838 (Herbst, 1785) lobed two being distinct. Colour: tan to purplish tan. Size range: Calappnca pellonis Laurie, 1906 C om m on name. Leaf porter crab/ 35-110 mm in CW. Availability: Common name: Box crab Urchin crab throughout the year. front thick and obtusely truncate, Carapace uneven, anterolateral borders hasseries of small spines/ covered with coarse tubercles, hepatic Family- Leucosiidae Samouelle, 1819 regions depressed. Colour: dark orange tubercles. Last two pairs of legs with curved dactylus, which help in Arcania elongata Yokoya, 1933 to red brown. Size range: 85-130 mm Carapace is circular and covered carrying a dead molluscan shell or sea inCW. Availability: January-March. sparsely with uniform sized urchin. Colour: beige to pink.Size tubercles.Eleven spines present in the range: 35 to 45 mm in CW. Availability: hkppa clypenta Boradaile, 1903 c’rcumference of carapace, the one in throughout the year. Common name: Box crab the middle of posterior border the ■ heir posterior border is produced longest.Colour: pale pinkish. Size Family Dromiidae De Haan, 1833^ pronouncedly beyond the level of the range: 30 to 40 mm in CW. Conchoecetes nrliftciosus (Fabricius, 1798) Posterior margins of the clypeiform Availability.-rare. ^pansions. Colour: greenish yellow. Common name: Sponge crab Surface of carapace is velvety and «« range: 70-85 mm in CW. Lupl'irii perpk’xa Galil, 2009 Availability; January-February. pentagonal in shape. Colour: dark Common name: Pebble crab brow n with pink to purplish tinge. Carapace convex and subglobular^g Size: small,28-32 mm CW.Availability: lapomca Ortmann, 1892 FISHING CHIMES Vol. 33 No. 4 / July 2013 Anterior border of the ambulatory legs surface is smooth and polished. transverse granulated ridges. is crested and the carapace and Colour: orange brown. Size range: 21.5- Chelipeds are considerably strong, chelipeds are covered with smooth 25 mm in CW.Availability: August to covered with tubercles. Colour: depressed tubercles. Colour: pale November. carapace brown with the granulated ridges and tubercles bright red. Size brown with dark brown/maroon on range: 25-120 mm in CW. Availability: anterior part of carapace. Size range: Pariliaa Icocki Wood-mason, 1891 small, 25-32 mm in CW. Availability: Common name: Pebble crab throughout the year. rare. Carapace is circular, finely granulated, Charybdis (Goiiiohellenits) hoplites (Wood- but smooth to the naked eye. Chelipeds rubroniaculata(De Haan, 1835) are slender and very long. Palm more Mason, 1877) Common name; Brown spotted crab than twice the length of fingers. Colour; Colour: carapace is brownish in colour Front is faintly bilobed. Colour: orange red. Size range:40-65 mm in and the chelipeds have cream coloured Carapace light brown with reddish CW, Availability: December to March. markings. Size range: 55-95 mm in CW. Availability: October. spots and legs are with red bands. Size range: 32-48 mm in CW.Availability: Family: Matutidae De Haan, 1838 June - September. linmris (Forskal, 1775) Charybdis grannlntii (De Haan, 1833) Common name: Spotted moon crab/ They are comparatively small in size, The crabs are marketed at very yellow moon crab the posterior border of the dorsum of nominal rate as raw material for fish/ Each side of carapace is with long carapace is straight and the chelipeds poultry meal and fertiliser projection or spine. All the legs are are much longer than the carapace. preparation. Their capture from the flattened for swimming and digging. Colour: mosaic green, mottled with wild may have detrimental impact as Colour: Yellowish pink with brown brown, fingers blackish.Size range: 28- they are an important entity in the dots on carapace. Size range- 25-85 mm 54 mm.Availability: sporadic. natural ecosystem. Hence for in CW.Availability: June-September aquarium/ornamental purpose, they and January-March. Podophthalmus vigil Fabricius, 1798 Common name: Long eyed swimming should be reared and suitable plnmpes Fabricius, 1798 crab protocols developed for larval rearing Common name: Reticulated moon Carapace is smooth, broader than long. as depending only on the wild can lead crab/flower moon crab They have very long eyestalk that to increased exploitation also. Front distinctly wider than orbit. extends almost as much as the Unfortunately for most of these species, Colour: dark green with closely carapace width. Colour: dark green. larval development is unknown. Most arranged maroon edged circles on Size range: 85-110 mm in CW. of the crabs form association with hard carapace, paddle shaped legs bright Availability: almost throughout the and soft corals, echinoderms, yellow with dark markings near the year. and molluscs regarding which further end. Size range: 40-55 mm in CW. studies are needed. These ignored Availability: June-September. Portunits (Mononiia) argentatus cirgentatus species can attain the status of highly (A. Milne Edwards, 1861) valued crustaceans in the aquarium Family ParthenopidaeMacLeay, 1838 A brown/black spot present on industry if culture techniques arc Cryptopodia /ormco/rt(Fabricius, 1787) dactylus of the last . The standardised and behavioural pattern Common name: Buckler crab/domed crest of the second abdominal segment studied. The marine segment of the elbow crab and propodus of cheliped are very aquarium trade industry still Carapace is convex, sharply prominent with silvery predominantly relies on wild collected pentagonal with very large vaulted appearance.Colour: pale brown with specimens, with over 90% of the traded expansions which completely conceal raised regions of carapace dark brown. species being taken from coral reefs the legs. Colour: creamy beige. Size: 42 Size range: 55-105 mm in CW. (TIusty, 2002). mm CW. Availability: rare. Availability: throughout the year. Acknowledgement Enoplolambruse chinatus (Herbst, Portunus (Mononiia) gladiatorFabricius, 1790) 1798 The authors thank Mr. M. Kathirvel It lacks the spot on the dactylus of Common name: Elbow crab (Retd. Principal Scientist), Central moving legs. The crest of the second Carapace and chelipeds are covered Institute of Brackishwater abdominal segment and propodus of with low depressed tubercles. Colour: Aquaculture for his help in specimen cheliped are moderately prominent. brown. Size range: 21.4-25 mm in CW. identification. Availability: August. Colour: pale brown. Size range: 55-102 mm in CW. Availability: throughout References Parthenope longimnnus (Linnaeus, 1758) the year. Common name: Long armed crab Carapace and chelipeds are covered Family- XanthidaeMacLeay, 1838 CHEN, H.L and P.K.L. NG. 1999.Crabs with rather sharp tubercles and their Demania baccalipes(A\cock,l898) of the Demaniarotundatn species group median rostral process is thin. Colour: Common name: Demon crab (Crustacea::Brachyura) from reddish to light brown.Size range: Anterior border of the ambulatory legs east and south China seas with 22.5-30 mm in CW. Availability: July with wart like tubercles and the description of a new species. The Raffles to November. carapace and chelipeds are covered Bulletin o f Zoo/ogy.47(l):139-153. with large depressed tubercles. Colour: CHEN, H.Land P.K.L. NG. 2004. On two Family Portunidae Rafinesque, 1815 red with green patches. Size range: 60- new species of spider crabs of the genus Charybdis iiatator(Heibst, 1794) 95 mm in CW. Availability: rare. Doclea (Crustacea:Decapoda: Common name: Ridged swimming Brachyura::) from Chino, crab Demania armadilius (Herbst, 1790) one of which is new. The Raffles Bulletin of Carapace is marked with several Common name: Stone crab Zoo(ogt/.52(1):201-208. GALIL, B.S. and P.F. CLARK.1994. A FISHING CHIMES Vol. 33 No. 4 / July 2013 revision of the genus MflfutoWeber, Med. Leiden.75(11), 24.XII, 169-206. 1795 (Crustacea: Brachyura: Calappidae). GALIL, B.S. 2009.An examination of Ramnidae, Corystidae and Zool. Verh. Leiden. 294, l.IX.1-55. the genus Phtlyra Leach, 1817 (Crustacea, (Crustacea: Decapoda: Brachyura) of GALIL, B.S.1997. Crustacea Taiwan. National Taiwan special Decapoda, Leucosiidae) with descriptions publication. Series No.l0:155-180 Decapoda: A revision of the Indo-Padfic of sever new genera and six new NG, P.K.L., D. GUINOT, D and P.J.F. species of the genus Calappa Weber, 1795 species.Zoosysfema .31 (2): 279-320 (Calappidae) In: Crosnier (ed.), Resultats DAVIE. 2008. SystemaBrachyurorum: KRISHNAMOORTHY, P. 2007. Part I. An annotated checklist of extant des campagnes Musostom, Vol.18. Mein. Brachyura. Fauna of Chennai coast Mi/s. Midi. Hist. nut.,176: 271-335. brachyuran crabs of the world.The Raffles GALIL, B.S. 2001. A revision of the 83 109 Ec°S}/Stem Series' 1- Zool.Sum India: Bulletin ofZoology.17:1-286. TLUSTY, M. 2002. The benefits and genus Arcania Leach, 1817 NG, P.K.L, T.Y. CHAN and C.H. WANG. risks of aquacultural production for the (Crustacea:Decapoda:Leucosiidea). Zool. 2000. The crabs of the families Dromiidae, aquarium tTade.Aquaculture, 205: 203-219.

Calappa calappa Calappa clypeata

Calappa japonica Calappa lophos Calappa philargius

lonas mdicus Dorippc frasconc Conchoecetes artificiosus

Phalangipus Ityslrix Lauridromta dehaani Dodea canalifera Dodea ovis

Lyphira preplexa Parilia alcocki bispinosa Arcania elongata