HERMIT CRABS (CRUSTACEA: DECAPODA: ANOMURA) IN ADEN COASTS AT THE GULF OF ADEN WITH A NEW RECORD

Abstract

The information on the hermit crab diversity on the northern shore of the Gulf of Aden is very limited and almost completely unknown. This study aims to record the hermit crab species in different habitats in Aden coasts at Gulf of Aden. The specimens were collected from 7 sites, by hand, and snorkelling up to 3 m depth, during the period time October 2020- October 2022. In this study, 10 hermit crab species were recorded belonging to 3 families (Coenobitidae, Diogenidae, Parapaguridae) belonging to 6 genera. One of these species represents the first records in the Gulf of Aden (Dardanus lagopodes (Forskål, 1775)). The dominant hermit crab on sandy shores was Coenobita scaevola (Forskål, 1775), while the dominant hermit crab in rocky shores was Clibanarius signatus Heller, 1861.