Alcolyra, a new genus of leucosiid crab (Crustacea: Decapoda: Brachyura) from India.

The identity of Philyra alcocki Kemp, 1915 (Leucosiidae), a species described from Chilika Lake, India is clarified. The redescription of lectotype male and examination of fresh material collected from Chilika Lake, Odisha state of India revealed that P. alcocki is significantly different morphologically from members of Philyra senso stricto and other allied genera in possessing two tuberculated rows on the branchial region of carapace, and a well-developed tubercle on male thoracic sternite 5 on either side of the sternopleonal cavity. Therefore, a new genus Alcolyra n. gen. is established herewith for the species.

Diversity of intertidal, epibiotic, and fouling barnacles (Cirripedia, Thoracica) from Gujarat, northwest India.

The present work studied the diversity of intertidal, epibiotic, and fouling barnacles in the state of Gujarat, northwest India. In total, eleven species belonging to eight genera and five families were recorded in the present study. The Arabian intertidal species Tetraclita ehsani Shahdadi, Chan & Sari, 2011 and Chthamalus barnesi Achituv & Safriel, 1980 are common in the high- and mid-intertidal rocky shores of Gujarat suggesting that the Gujarat barnacle assemblages are similar to the assemblages in the Gulf of Oman Ecoregion. The biogeographical boundary between the Gulf of Oman and Western Indian ecoregions for barnacles should probably extend southward towards the waters adjacent to Mumbai, where Indo-Pacific species of intertidal barnacles dominate. This study provides the first reports of the common widely distributed balanomorph barnacles Striatobalanus tenuis (Hoek, 1883), Tetraclitella karandei Ross, 1971, Amphibalanus reticulatus (Utinomi, 1967), and lepadid barnacle Lepas anatifera Linnaeus, 1758 in Gujarat, as well as of the chthamalid barnacle Chthamalus barnesi in India.

Tritodynamia bengalensis n. sp., a new species of brachyuran crab from West Bengal state, India (Decapoda: Brachyura: Macrophthalmidae).

Tritodynamia bengalensis n. sp. is described on the basis of a male specimen dredged from the shallow coastal waters of West Bengal state, India. The new species is morphologically similar to T. bidentata Yang Tang, 2005 and T. serratipes Anker Ng, 2014, but can be distinguished by the carapace shape, dentition of the pollex, relative length of the dactylus of the third maxilliped, proportions of the propodus of the third pereopod, and structure of the male left gonopod. This is the first record of the genus Tritodynamia from India.

On the identities of Nepinnotheres vicajii (Chhapgar, 1957) and Arcotheres casta (Antony amp; Kuttyamma, 1971) from western India: conspecificity and taxonomy (Decapoda, Brachyura, Pinnotheridae).

The identity of Nepinnotheres vicajii (Chhapgar, 1957) (described as Pinnotheres vicajii) (Pinnotheridae), a pea crab associated with the bivalve Marcia recens (Holten, 1802), is clarified. On the basis of re-diagnosis of holotype male and freshly collected female specimens from its type locality, P. vicajii is now assigned to Arcotheres Manning, 1993. A second poorly known species from India, Arcotheres casta (Antony Kuttyamma, 1971), originally collected from Meretrix casta (Gmelin, 1791) is also synonymized with A. vicajii.

On the two 'forms' of Dotilla intermedia De Man, 1888 (Crustacea: Brachyura: Dotillidae) from the Bay of Bengal, India, with description of a new species.

Two distinct morphotypes of sand bubbler crab (Dotillidae) from eastern India were assigned to Dotilla intermedia De Man, 1888, by British carcinologist, Stanley Kemp in 1919, due to similarities in the areolation of the carapace and the occurrence of these two forms in the same locality. Kemp, however, also illustrated the differences in the morphology of the male thoracic sternums, chelae, and first gonopods and, accordingly, divided D. intermedia into two subcategories which he called the "high form" and the "low form". The recent designation of a lectotype for D. intermedia, which corresponds with Kemp's "high form", makes it possible to recognize the "low form" as a distinct and new species, D. fraternalis n. sp., which is described here. Furthermore, Kemp's synonymization of Dotilla clepsydrodactylus Alcock, 1900, under Dotilla intermedia is affirmed here after examination of the surviving syntypes. A lectotype is selected to stabilize the taxonomy of this species.

An annotated checklist of the mantis shrimps of India (Crustacea: Stomatopoda).

An annotated checklist of the mantis shrimps (Stomatopoda) occurring in India is compiled from published literature and specimens collected from coastal areas of Gujarat state. A total of 72 species, 35 genera, 10 families and 5 superfamilies reported from Indian waters are listed. Four species were recorded for the first time from Gujarat while one species, Erugosquilla hesperia (Manning, 1968), is confirmed for the first time from India. The maximum number of species was reported from Tamil Nadu (48 species), while fewest species were reported from Karnataka (2 species). The results also suggest that the east coast is more diverse (66 species) than the west coast of India (32 species).

Two species of Talorchestia Dana 1853 (Crustacea, Amphipoda, Talitridae) including T. lakshadweepensis sp. nov. from the Lakshadweep Islands, India.

Two species of the beach-hopper genus Talorchestia Dana, 1853 were collected at Cheriyam Island in the union territory of Lakshadweep in south western India. One species was identified as T. affinis Maccagno, 1936, known previously from the Red Sea, Somalia and East Africa and recorded for the first time from India, the other proved to be a new species, T. lakshadweepensis sp. nov.

Redescription of Arcotheres pernicola (Bürger, 1895) (Crustacea: Decapoda: Brachyura: Pinnotheridae) from the oyster Magallana gryphoides (Schlotheim, 1820) in India.

The identity of Arcotheres pernicola (Bürger, 1895) (Pinnotheridae), a pea crab supposedly associated with the mussel Perna, has been unclear as the type specimen is in poor condition. Specimens collected from the oyster Magallana gryphoides (Schlotheim, 1820) from Alibaugh, Maharashtra state, India, are here referred to A. pernicola and the species is redescribed and refigured. Its affinities with allied congeners are also discussed.

An annotated checklist of the marine brachyuran crabs (Crustacea: Decapoda: Brachyura) of India.

An annotated checklist of the marine brachyuran crabs occurring in India is compiled from published literature and augmented by collections between 2005 and 2015. A total of 910 species belonging to 361 genera and 62 families are herein listed from Indian waters. Specimens representing 130 species were obtained from Gujarat state during 2005 and 2015, of which 23 are new records to Gujarat state and two species are reported for the first time from the west coast of India. The highest number of species were recorded from the Andaman and Nicobar islands (588 species) while the smallest number were from Goa and Karnataka state (82 species). The records indicate that the east coast of India, with 803 species, is more diverse than the west coast, which has 446 species.

Redescription of Arcotheres placunae (Hornell Southwell, 1909) (Crustacea: Decapoda: Brachyura: Pinnotheridae) from India and Pakistan.

The identity of Arcotheres placunae (Hornell Southwell, 1909) (Pinnotheridae), a pea crab associated with the window pane shell, Placuna placenta, has been confused as the types are lost and the original figures are inaccurate and do not match the description given of the species. In the present study, fresh specimens of the species were collected from the type locality (Gulf of Kachchh, Gujarat, India), and the species is here redescribed and refigured, and its affinities with similar species is discussed. To stabilize the taxonomy of A. placunae, a neotype is chosen from amongst the fresh material.

A new pea crab species of the genus Arcotheres Manning, 1993 (Crustacea: Decapoda: Brachyura: Pinnotheridae) from India.

A new species of pinnotherid crab, Arcotheres shahi n. sp., is described on the basis of specimens collected during a crustacean survey along the coastal areas of Pamban fishing harbor in the Gulf of Mannar, Tamil Nadu state, east coast of India. The new species resembles A. pernicola (Bürger, 1895), A. winckworthi (Gordon, 1936) and A. rayi Ahyong Ng, 2007, in having the dactyli of the longer fourth pereopod longer than that of fifth pereopod. Arcotheres shahi n. sp. differs from these three known species in the shape of female carapace, frontal region and chela, setal pattern on the dactyli of the fourth and fifth pereopods and relative length of the ambulatory pereiopods.

Elasmopus sivaprakasami sp. nov., a new species of amphipod (Senticaudata, Maeridae) from Gujarat State, India.

A new species of amphipod, Elasmopus sivaprakasami sp. nov., is described from India. It is found to be conspecific with material described from southern India nearly fifty years previously, but attributed at that time to a species described from Japan.

A new species of the genus Diogenes Dana, 1851 (Crustacea: Decapoda: Anomura: Diogenidae) from Gujarat, northwestern India.

A new species of diogenid hermit crab, Diogenes chhapgari n. sp., is described on the basis of material collected during the crustacean faunal survey along the coastal areas of the Gujarat State, northwestern India. The new species is referred to the D. edwardsii (De Haan, 1849) species group and appears closest to D. singaporensis Rahayu, 2015. However, D. chhapgari n. sp. is distinguished from this species by the armature on the fourth segment of the antennal peduncle and carpus of the left cheliped.