FIRST RECORD OF EIGHT BRACHYURAN CRABS’ SPECIES (CRUSTACEA-DECAPODA) IN SOCOTRA ARCHIPELAGO IN THE INDIAN OCEAN-YEMEN

Abstract

Yemen has a number of islands on the Red Sea, including Kamaran, Uqban, Hanish Archipelago Islands, Mayun (older name: Perim), and many islands at the Gulf of Aden, in the Indian Ocean, this also includes the Socotra Archipelago located 240 km from the east of the Horn of Africa and 380 km from Yemen. Socotra Island has a variety of habitats including sandy shores, rocky shores, mud flats, sponge areas, coral reefs, and freshwaters. This study aims to record the brachyuran crab’s species in different habitats in Socotra Archipelago. The specimens of the brachyuran crabs collected by hand, hand nets, and snorkeling up to 3-meter depth. The specimens were collected from 6 sites in Socotra Islands during separate periods time from 1984 to 2000, these specimens kept in Rostock University and Zoologische Staatssammlung München (ZSM)-Germany. In this present study, 32 brachyuran crabs’ species were recorded belonging to 11 superfamilies, 14 families, and 29 genera. Eight of these species represent the first records in Socotra Islands. The dominant brachyuran crab families in this region were Xanthidae, 35% with 11 species recorded, followed by Grapsidae, 19% with 6 species.