New record of pebble crab from Indian waters

Phylum: Arthropoda

Class: Malacostraca Latreille, 1802

Order: Decapoda Latreille, 1802

Family: Leucosiidae MacLeay, 1838

Urnalana angulata (Rathbun, 1911)

Collection: Southeastern Bay of Bengal, south of Great Nicobar Island, Nicobars, 6.65°N, 93.83°E, 56 m, 16.08.2019 (FORVSS 388, St. 18), Chain dredge.

Voucher No.: CMLRE IO/SS/BRC/00184

Description: Carapace subpentagonal, slightly wider than long, regions indistinct; frontal margin projecting, bilobate; anterolateral margin angular, projecting ventrally; posterolateral margins setose; thoracic sinus with large, lozenge-shaped granule ventrally. Mxp3 merus elongate triangular; exopod laciniate. Chelipeds widened distally; anterior margin bearing row of 9 granules, including 3 large granules medially, posterior margin bearing 9 close-set smaller granules, splitting into two divergent rows distally; dorsal surface on distal half, proximal half with a cluster of 3–4 granules covered by dense tomentum; carpus outer margin carinate; palm slightly wider than long, with carinate margins; fingers carinate, slightly longer than palm. P4 merus with 1 row of granules on posterior margin; carpus dorsally carinate, propodi dorsally & ventrally carinate. Pleon subtriangular.

Biological association: None.

Remarks: New record of pebble crab from Indian waters

Distribution: Seychelles, Mauritius, Sri Lanka, Andaman Sea (India), Papua New Guinea. Depth range: 40–57 m.

Distribution map:

Identified by: Vinay P. Padate

Publication: Padate V.P., Cubelio S.S., Takeda M. (2024) First records of some coral reef-associated brachyuran crabs from the Nicobar archipelago, India. Zootaxa, 5486 (4): 067–498.