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Porcellanid crabs from Guadeloupe Island (Crustacea, Decapoda, Anomura), with an updated list of species from the Lesser Antilles

Joseph POUPIN & Rafael LEMAITRE

en Zoosystema 36 (1) - Pages 5-27

Published on 28 March 2014

A collection of porcellanid crabs from Guadeloupe Island, Caribbean Sea Lesser Antilles, is reported. The specimens were obtained during the KARUBENTHOS Expedition (V.2012), a 1-month intensive survey of selected habitats in shallow-water to moderate depth (intertidal to 160 m). A total of 20 species were found, 15 of which represent new records for Guadeloupe Island. Almost all species were photographed in color shortly after capture. For each species, a diagnosis, notes on habitat, geographical distribution, and taxonomic remarks, are given. The 20 species of porcellanid crabs found in Guadeloupe Island represent 54% of a total of 37 species known from the entire Lesser Antilles (Anguilla to Trinidad) and the islands off Venezuela (Testigos to Aruba). The richness of the porcellanid fauna of Guadeloupe Island indicates a high biodiversity potential in other decapod crustaceans or invertebrates in general, living in marine habitats of this Island.


Keywords:

Crustacea, Decapoda, Porcellanidae, Guadeloupe, Lesser Antilles, Caribbean Sea, Inventory.

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