On decapoda brachyura from the Andaman and Nicobar Islands : 2. Family Xanthidae

Abstract

The present paper is the second in the series on Decapoda Brachyura from the Andaman and Nicobar Islands and reports 43 species and 2 varieties belonging to 22 genera of which genus Jonesius is new to science apart from 7 new records for the region. Heller (1868) reported 12 species of xanthid crabs from Nicobars. Later Alcock (1898) recorded 85 species and 3 varieties belonging to 33 genera including 8 species already reported by Heller. Since the first male pleopod is known to distinguish the closely related species, the same is illustrated wherever male specimens were available in the collection. Description of the first male pleopod is given for those which were not earlier described by Chopra (1935), Chopra and Das (1937), and Chhapghar (1957). Detailed descriptions of Zozymodes pumilus (Jacquinot) and Pilumnus heterdon Sakai axe also given, both of them being additions to the faunistic fist of India.