Grapsus albolineatus
Scientific Name:-
Grapsus albolineatusCommon Name:-
Mottled Crab, Shore Crab
Malayalam Name:-
Theera Njandu
Category:-
Crabs
Status:-
Not evaluated
Description:-
Carapace depressed and pereiopods more laterally compressed. Front not remarkably wide; Antero-lateral margins rounded/ arched, lateral regions with numerous oblique striae. Presence of sub-acute and carinated tooth at the inner angle of orbit. Epistome rugose; epistomial ridge entire, not tuberculated; its antero-lateral portion with one arched ridge, which touches the upper border of the buccal cavern. Four ridged elevations between the orbits on the upper angle. Behind the outer angle of the orbit is present another spine like projection on the antero-lateral margin. Indistinct horizontal branchio-cardiac grooves on the carapace and grooved line horizontal from the margin of carapace to the centre. Hepatic region without strong vertical tubercles. Two distinct ridges on the external surface of propodus of chelipeds. Finger tips strongly spooned. The pereiopods are laterally flattened; first and last pair of pereiopods are equal in their length. Chelipeds are smaller compared to the pereiopods and granulated on the upper margin. The spine at the inner angle of carpus of chelipeds almost straight. Spines on inner border of merus of chelipeds. External surface of cheliped palm rough with two distinct ridges. Dactylus of pereiopods with acuminate tips. A terminal spine on the posterior border of propodus of pereiopods. The distal part of the posterior margin of last pair of pereiopods serrate. In fresh condition the specimen is dark reddish brown in colour; sternite of the chelipeds lightly coloured. Finger tips coloured dark tan or brown. Body dark pinkish in colour and the fingers blackish with white tips.
Remark:-
Alcock (1900) recorded this species from Malabar coast. Bijukumar et al. (2013), Dev Roy (2013) and Sushilkumar (2013) recorded it from Kerala coast.
Habitat:-
Sandy bottom and rocky intertidal areas
Synonyms:-
Cancer strigosus Herbst, 1799; Grapsus (Goniopsis) flavipes MacLeay, 1838; Grapsus albolineatus Lamarck, 1818; Grapsus longipes Stimpson, 1858; Grapsus peroni Milne Edwards, 1853; Grapsus strigosus Herbst, 1799
References:-
Alcock, A.W., 1900b. Materials for a carcinological fauna of India. No. 6. The Brachyura Catometopa or Grapsoidea. Journal of the Asiatic Society of Bengal, Calcutta, 69(3): 279-456.
Biju Kumar, A., M. Sushil Kumar., S.M. Raffi and S. Ajmal Khan (2007). Diversity of brachyuran crabs associated with trawl by-catch in Kerala coast, India. Ind.J. Fis. 54 (3): 283-290.
Dev Roy, M.K. (2013). Diversity and Distribution of Marine brachyuran crab communities inhabiting west coast of India. Ecology and Conservation of Tropical Marine Faunal communities, K. Venkataraman et al. (eds.), DOI: 10.1007/978-3-642-38200-0_10, © Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg. pp 147-169.
Sushilkumar, M. (2013). Diversity and proximate composition of brachyuran crabs in the trawl by-catch of Kerala coast. PhD Thesis submitted to University of Kerala, India.