Arcania septemspinosa (Fabricius, 1787)

Srivastava, O. P., 2017, Marine and estuarine crabs of Digha coast, Records of the Zoological Survey of India 117 (1), pp. 49-72 : 55

8. Arcania septemspinosa (Fabricius, 1787) *

(Plate 1, Figure 3)

1787. Cancer septemspinosa Fabricius, Mantissa Ins. , 1:

325.

1798. Leucosia septemspinosa Fabricius, Ent. Syst. Suppl. :

351.

1896. Arcania septemspinosa Alcock, J. Asiat. Soc. Bengal , 65(2): 265.

1980. Arcania septemspinosa Hill, In : B.S. Morton and C. K. Tseng (eds.), The Marine Flora and Fauna of Hong Kong and southern China: 201, pl. 4C.

1989. Arcania septemspinosa Chen, In : J. Forest (ed.),

Résultats des Campagnes MUSORSTOM,

Vol.5. Mém. Mus natn .Hist. (A), 144: Figure 9 a-i,

pI.2, Figure 6.

2005. Arcania septemspinosa : Dev Roy and Bhadra S, Zool.

Surv. India, State Fauna Series 5: Fauna of Andhra

Pradesh (Pt 5): 390.

Material examined: 3exs., Digha Mohana , 16.iv.14, Coll. O.P.S. (Reg. no. A-4284) ; 1exs., Shankarpur 20.v.2014, Coll. O.P.S. (Reg. no. A-4311) ; 1 ex., Junput , 11.vi.2014, Coll. O.P.S. (Reg. no. A-4327) , 2exs., Digha , 19.ix.2014, Coll. O.P.S. (Reg. no. A-4331) .

Diagnosis: Carapace rhomboidal shaped, broader than long having fine granules on its surface; its anterior border have seven spines wherein lateral spines are directed forwards or backwards, posterior border of carapace with four small spine. Chelipeds slender and symmetrical, more than double the length of carapace. The upper border of palm slightly shorter to movable finger.

Distribution: India: Andaman Island, Andhra Pradesh (East Godavari, Krishna, Nellore, Prakasam,Visakhaptnam), Odisha (Gopalpur coast, Mahanadi Delta), Tamil Nadu (Chennai), Gujarat

(Gulf of Kachcha), and West Bengal (Digha, Shankarpur, Junput). Elsewhere: Australia, China, Hong Kong, Japan, Malay Archipelago, Persian Gulf, Red Sea and South Africa.

Remarks: This species is reported new to this area.